Dudley goes to Hogwarts A change of mind
by shattered crystal
Summary: What will happen if the Dursleys had to come along with Harry and stay at Hogwarts until Voldemort's been captured? Harry can't remeber who he is and now the question is, is Petunia the person who's gonna save him?
1. Voldemort

A/N : English not good. If you see mistake, you'll realize that I'm a human that doesn't 

use English very much. 

Disclaimer : Me own nothin' 

*~*A Change of Mind*~* 

Chapter 1 

Voldemort 

_This story takes place during Harry's 7th year. Harry and Hermione were staying at 'The Burrow' since the start of the school holidays. Now, Harry has to go back to the Dursleys for a day because Professor Dumbledore wanted Remus Lupin to personally take Harry to King Cross Station but Harry doesn't know about that. Is everything cleared up? Okay, the story begins… _

~*Scene outside 4 Privet Drive*~ 

"Well Harry. We'll be seeing ya," said Ron, patting Harry's back. Harry, on the other hand, gave him a small smile. 

"Don't worry, Harry. Lord Voldemort won't be after you as long as you staying with your relatives. I'm sure of it," said Hermione. 

Ron gasped when he heard her saying You-Know-Who's name. 

"Hermione! I never thought you, of all people, would say his name." 

Hermione frowned at this. 

"Stop it, Ron. You would think that hanging around Harry for almost 7 years now, he would influence me in saying his name," replied Hermione, as Harry smiled at her when he heard that. 

Harry just laughed at Ron's expression. Ron was still shock that Hermione said Voldemort's name. Harry let out a sigh at Ron's behaviour. Harry then felt upset that he had to go back to the Dursleys'. 

"There you go," said Ron, putting the trunk on the pavement. 

"Cheer up, Harry. We promise that we'll send you lots of owl," said Hermione, smiling. Harry smile back. 

"I don't know Herm. It's just that… I have this weird feeling that Voldemort could attack me even though I'm with the Dursleys," said Harry, managed to look over Hermione's left shoulder and saw that Uncle Vernon was looking sharply at them. 

"Voldemort can't come near you, Harry. Just trust Dumbledore," said Hermione, placing her right hand on Harry's left shoulder. 

"Will both of you stop calling him by **that** name!" winced Ron, hearing You-Know-Who's name being spoken out loud. 

Harry and Hermione just looked at their pathetic friend and then resumed talking. 

"You're right. Lord Voldemort won't try anything dumb," said Harry, totally ignoring Ron's reaction. "Well, I better be off or Dudley will be eating my dinner for me. Send my thanks again to your mom, Ron, for letting me stay at your house." 

After he hugged Hermione and gave Ron a 'high-five', he dragged his trunk with Hedwig's empty cage, wobbling on top, towards the awaiting Uncle Vernon. 

"We'll be seeing you in three days' time, Harry!" yelled Ron, before he got back into the ministry's car. 

They had managed to get the car to send Harry off. Harry waved back to Hermione and Ron as he saw them drive to the bend and disappear when the coast was clear. 

~*Inside*~ 

Harry struggled as he tried to pull his trunk up to his room with Hedwig's cage, now under his right arm. He wanted to use magic to help him but he knew better. The Dursleys hates anything that has anything to do with the word 'magic'. As a result, hating him as well. Not that he cared if he used it on the Dursleys. Unfortunately he knew that if he had used his magic there, he would be in big trouble. This was because doing magic around muggles (non-magic folk) would cause confusion and trouble. Not to mention it is against the law lay down by the Ministry of Magic. There are exceptions to this law though. He could use it to protect himself if Voldemort should attack him. 

Halfway up the stairs, Harry heard Dudley's voice from the top of the stairs. He looked back. He could see that Dudley, his (unfortunately to say) cousin, had not lost any weight over the years. Then again, looked like had gained some weight instead. 

'_Seems that the diet is obviously useless_,' thought Harry, looking at his cousin. '_Maybe he would soon be as big as Hagrid, even though he's not a half giant'. _

"You will never get that thing upstairs," he laughed. Harry, feeling a little mischievous, thought of doing some pretend magic like he always does if Dudley started to annoy him. He placed the cage onto the floor, leaving his right hand free. 

"Hocus…Pocus!" said Harry, pointing his finger towards Dudley, sending him running off screaming into his bedroom. 

Harry chuckled to himself. To think that Dudley still thinks witches and wizard do things like that on the 'Sabrina, the teenage witch' show still manages to make Harry wonder how gullible his cousin can be. 

_'We have so nothing in common!'_ Harry thought to himself as he picked up the cage and continued to struggle with his trunk. 

After about 10 minutes of hard labour of tugging, he finally got his trunk and Hedwig's cage up into his bedroom. He let out a long sigh of relief as he threw himself onto the bed, his arms out-stretched across his bed and lying on his back. 

_'Why? Oh, why do I have to be here when I could stay over at The Burrow until the term starts? It's only three days. Why does Professor Dumbledore think I should come here instead of just staying there until 1st of September?'_ he thought. 

Harry stared sadly at the empty birdcage. Hedwig left just before he had left from 'The Burrow'. 

_ 'I guess even Hedwig knows better than to be living here,'_ thought Harry again, this time he even laughed softly to himself. 

He glanced at the watch that he got fixed a few years back, no thanks to the Dursleys. It was actually with Mr. Weasley's help that he got his watch fixed. Though it was actually his curiosity on how a muggle-watch worked that made him repair Harry's watch. Mr. Weasley is a wizard who works in a department in the Ministry of Magic, Misuse of Muggle Artifacts. Though he would lose his job if the ministry found out that he secretly disassembles and bewitches muggle things. He can't help being curious and fascinated by them. His watch now showed that it was almost dinnertime. Harry groaned as he heard Aunt Petunia shouting for him downstairs. He knew what that meant. 

Harry slowly made his way down to the kitchen and the first thing he saw was Aunt Petunia's ugly face. 

"Look after the chicken and don't let it burn or I'll sent you up to your room faster than you can say the word 'dinner'!" barked Aunt Petunia. 

To think that she would realize that he is nearly seventeen and that she could stop treating him as she did when he was eleven. Too tired to argue, he took over cooking the chicken without any complains. After about ten to twenty minutes, dinner was finally ready. 

Nothing interesting happened during dinnertime that night. Maybe it was partly because Harry was too tired to even care that his dinner was just a small piece of chicken and some salad. All he knew was that he wanted to get this lousy dinner over with and get back upstairs so that he could get some sleep. Dinner was a blur to Harry. The last thing he remembered before climbing up the stairs was Aunt Petunia babbling something about him and the plates. He wasn't really sure. All he remembered before he fell asleep was that he was in bed, not caring if the Dursleys were still eating dinner or had died. It was no concern of his because he knew that the Dursleys wouldn't care about him either. 

~*Harry's dream *~ 

Harry looked around him. He had been to this place before, he was sure of it but he just couldn't put his finger on it. He was in a corridor. All he could see was that there was light coming from the room in front to him. He walked into the room. The room was medium sized with a roaring fire in its fireplace. There was an armchair in the middle of the room and also a small, weak figure standing next to it, shivering in fear. There was also a snake but it was on the left side of the armchair. Then he could hear voices speaking. 

_ "The boy is out of Dumbledore's protection, master," _said the weak figure_. _

_ 'Hmm… I know that voice. It's…' _thought Harry. 

_"Good. Now there is no one to save him. Do what you have to do, Wormtail. I must have my duel!" _roared the other voice, whom Harry just realised was coming from the armchair. 

Harry stood silently and petrified in fear. 

_"As you wish, master," _replied the weak figure, bowing towards the person in the chair and then turned to exit the room. 

Harry gasped as he saw that Wormtail looking at his direction. His lips curved into a devilish smile. This frightened Harry because he assumed that Wormtail knew that he was there. To his relief, Wormtail just walked past him and only then did Harry realised that Wormtail had no clue that he was there. 

_"Yes, Nagini. We will have our revenge very soon..." _the second voice, whose laugh boomed in the room. 

The laugh was so loud and so evil that Harry's lightning bolt scar began to burn and burn. The pain soon grew so intense that he clutched his forehead and his vision was then a blur. When the swirling mist before his eyes began to disperse, Harry woke up and found that he had his hand on his scar and sweating profusely. 

Harry looked around him, and then remembered that he was safe in his bedroom at the Dursleys'. The nightmare he had felt so real that he could've sworn that he was right there with Wormtail and Voldemort, where they were talking. He didn't want to admit it but he knew that deep down inside him it had really happened. After all, it had happen to him more than once before and it began during the start of his fourth year, before he was in Hogwarts. That year, after many experiences, had taught him _not _tobe secretive with Professor Dumbledore. So, after waiting a few minutes, the burning sensation of his scar slowly reduced and he took out a piece of parchment, his bottle of green ink and his eagle-feathered quill. He then sat himself down at the table and got down to writing a letter to Professor Dumbledore. 

_ 'Now the problem is… what am I going to write?'_ he thought, now his scar just stinging. 

He taps his fingers on the table and twirling his quill, thinking how to best put it in words on what he had just heard. He kept glancing at his watch, for some reason, as though he was expecting someone. _6.50 a.m._ Harry kept tapping the table with his fingers. _7.45 a.m._ '_The Dursleys would be up and around by now_.' 8.10 a.m. Harry sighed as he scribbled the first few words that he could think of. Finally, by 8.50 am, he finished this letter and was now reading it again to see if it sounded right. 

_Dear Professor Dumbledore, _

_ How are you doing? I hope you're all right. I'm sorry to bother you because I know that even a professor needs their rest. Even if I've experienced this before, I thought it would be best to tell you what had happened. You see, I had a dream about Lord Voldemort. It was just a short dream but a terrible one. It seems that Voldemort thinks that I am out of your protection and that it's the best time to attack. I just thought that I should tell you since 'Snuffles' reminded me a few times before to inform you if the dream thingy happens again. What should I do? _

_Harry _

Harry looked over and over again at the letter that he had wrote. It's not his best work but at least it gets the information over. Harry folded the letter and placed it on the table so that Hedwig could deliver it when she comes back. Just as he had finished folding it, Aunt Petunia was knocking on his door and shouting orders that weren't even muffled by the door. 

~*Table… During Breakfast*~ 

"Mommy! I want more bacon!" Dudley whined; banging his hands on the table, which made it shake badly. 

It shook so badly that Uncle Vernon, who was at the table, had to keep the things on the table from falling off. Harry, who was also at the table, was struggling with himself to keep him from laughing out loud and getting him in trouble again. Aunt Petunia was at the refrigerator, about to take some fruits out to cut and eat. 

"I'm sorry, dearie but you are on a diet. You can't have anymore," said Aunt Petunia, sympathy in her voice. 

Dudley kept on wailing and banging the table until Aunt Petunia couldn't stand it and burst into tears. 

"Oh munchkins. Mommy's sorry but you can't. C'mon, mommy and daddy will take you out later, okay?" she replied, trying to comfort her poor 'little' Dudley. 

Dudley stopped his wailing almost at once when he heard that. 

"Okay… but I don't want **_him_** to come!" said Dudley, pointing at Harry. 

"Of course he won't come sweetie. Will he, Vernon?" asked Aunt Petunia, both Dudley and herself looking at Uncle Vernon. 

"He won't. We'll just leave him with Mrs. Figg again," said Uncle Vernon, now reading the papers. 

"But I…" Harry began but Uncle Vernon had cut him off. 

"No _buts_!!! Since when did you learn to say otherwise, you ungrateful little brat? You **_will_ **go and stay at Mrs. Figg's and that's final!" Mr. Dudley boomed, getting up from his chair and his face now red with rage. 

"I just want to say…" said Harry, trying to defend himself. 

"I will not tolerate this behaviour anymore! Go up to your room_ now_!" he yelled again. 

Harry could see that Dudley was smiling, no doubt enjoying every moment of it very much. Uncle Vernon's face was so red that Harry felt that it would actually emit heat. Aunt Petunia was just there, doing nothing to make it better or worse. 

"But…" said Harry. 

"_Now_!!!" he yelled, if possible, louder while pointing towards the stairs. 

Harry finally gave up. He was about to climb the stairs when his scar burned really badly. Harry yelled as he held his right hand over the scar and left hand on the railing so he wouldn't collapse onto the floor, as the pain was unbearable. It hurt like hell and the only time he remembered that it hurt this much was when Voldemort was near. 

"_Now_, _boy_, before I plan to gave you a punishment **worse** than it is already!" Uncle Vernon yells again, unaware that Harry was in pain and of the trouble he and his family were going to face. 

Suddenly, sound of the living room door falling could be heard from the dining room. Uncle Vernon immediately scrabbled to his feet and made his way to the living room. Harry, Dudley and Aunt Petunia followed suit. They saw dust flying everywhere in the living room that it could be mistaken as a fog and that the living room door was laying on the ground. They all noticed that there were two figures standing at the doorway as the dust slowly cleared. Uncle Vernon was in shock that he didn't care about Harry's punishment anymore. 

"Who are you? Get out of my house!" Uncle Vernon yelled some more, this time at the two strangers. 

"Should I kill him, master?" asked the smaller stranger. 

"No… He might be of some use to me in future. It's the boy I want," replied the taller stranger. 

"NO! Don't take my little Duddie! Don't take my angel!" cried Aunt Petunia, hugging Dudley while Dudley was now shaking in fear. 

"Foolish creature. Why would I want that boy? He's worthless! It's him that I want!!" said the taller stranger again, pointing to Harry whose scar burned more intensely than it did after the strangers came in; or should I say blasted in. 

"Who are you?" Uncle Vernon asked. 

It was Harry who answered. 

"Voldemort and Wormtail…" Harry managed to say through his gritted teeth. 


	2. Unexpected Nasty Surprise

Disclaimer: I own nothin'. The creator and goddess, J. K. Rowling, is whom you should thank for inspiring me. 

~*A Change of Mind*~ 

Chapter 2 

Unexpected And Nasty Surprises 

"Voldemort and Wormtail," Harry said while struggling to stand up. 

The taller stranger only laughed evilly at his remark. 

"It seems that young Mr. Potter remembers us, Wormtail. Bravo, Potter. Bravo," he clapped, pretended to be amused. 

"What are you doing here?" Harry snapped, despite the pain of his scar. 

"For a rematch, that's what. But first, meet my friends, the Dementors," said Voldemort, now stepping into the room with a dozen Dementors gliding behind him and Wormtail standing beside his master. 

"What in hell are those?" Uncle Vernon yelled, stepping back while both Aunt Petunia and Dudley tried to take protection behind him. 

"Stupefy!" Harry could hear Wormtail stepped forward and cursing it on the Dursleys. 

They stood rigid and fell to the floor. Harry could see that Wormtail hadn't change much since the last time they met at the graveyard during his fourth year at Hogwarts. He also realised that Wormtail wasn't holding a wand but had used his replacement metal hand in place of his wand. Wormtail then pulled up his hood again and stood by Voldemort's side. Harry stepped forward and smiled weakly because he felt brave, as he knew how to deal with Dementors. 

"Dementors, Voldemort? I expected worse from you," said Harry. 

Harry reacted quickly and pulled out his wand which he always tuck under his shirt in case of emergency. Although he knew he couldn't use it in front of the Dursleys to amuse himself but he listened to Sirius Black's (his godfather) to have his wand on him at all times after Lord Voldemort had regained some power. The Dementors, on the other hand, were already lowering their hoods. Harry could feel the room temperature dropping rapidly. Harry, already used to this, was unaffected by it. 

"Wormtail, you are not to interrupt until I order you so. Ready to die, Potter?" Voldemort smirked while Harry smiled, with the twinkle of determination in his eyes. 

"I don't think that will happen," replied Harry. 

Concentrating really hard on the time that he won the Quidditch cup, then he yelled, "_Expecto patronum_!" 

Prongs emerged from his wand and galloped around the Dementors. The Dementors were falling backwards and in no time, were out the door. The stag seeing that has done his job well, then disappeared. 

"Very good, young Mr. Potter. I must say that what you did just now amazes me," he said through his gritted teeth. 

Harry smirked but then he winched. He felt extremely tired after performing that spell plus enduring the pain of his scar. 

"Not only that. I also know that this particular spell is very, very, _very _advance magic for a mere child like you and that it is now draining your energy as we speak," Lord Voldemort added, gleaming. 

"So? I can still beat you like the many times we've met," said Harry. 

"Tsk. Tsk. Such a pathetic child we have here. You think you can defeat me. We shall see about that. We'll see how well you are against the same curse twice," Voldemort smiled evilly. 

Harry panicked. He knew exactly what spell Voldemort was going to use. It has no counter curse and known to many as 'the killing curse'. Voldemort was just about to open his mouth when Harry heard another voice from behind Voldemort. 

"Drop it, Voldemort! I mean it," said the stranger. 

Harry couldn't see who it was but knew that the voice sounded familiar. He felt even more tired now. He was actually using all of his strength to just remaining standing. Voldemort and Wormtail, with a blink of an eye, were gone. But then, his loud voice could be heard. 

"I'll be back for you, Potter. You can be sure of that!" Voldemort's voice boomed. 

Harry, feeling that the every last bit of energy in him had left and beginning to lose his vision, collapsed onto the floor. Harry heard someone running towards him and catching him before he fell onto the floor. The stranger had his firm hands on the shoulders and at the back of Harry that all Harry could do was thank the stranger under his breath. Determined not to black out, Harry strained to keep consciousness. He was strong and soon able to looked up, relieved to see that it was Lupin's face looking down with concern at him. 

"Are you okay, Harry?" he asked, helping him up and onto a chair. 

Harry nodded his head. 

"What are you doing here?" Harry asked weakly while Lupin was drawing the curtains and repairing the door so that neighbours won't be able to see what was going on inside. 

"Actually, I came here to take you to my home. Snuffles is with me… somewhere," said Remus, handing Harry a large piece of chocolate to him, which he took out from his pocket. 

"Actually, Snuffles is right here," a voice coming from behind Harry. 

Harry looked up. It was Sirius, standing behind the chair, smiling down on him. 

"Are you all right, Harry?" he said in concern. 

Harry could see that he was healthy and not to mention, clean too. 

"I'm fine," mumbled Harry, as he was eating the chocolate Lupin gave to him. 

He could feel heat going through his entire body. He felt much better now, as his scar wasn't burning badly. 

"We better inform Professor Dumbledore. He should know what had happened," said Lupin, as he had finished clearing up the living room. "Enervate." 

The Dursleys' immediately woken up and screamed at the sight of Sirius for they all remembered him as an escaped convict. Sirius just rolled his eyes as Harry giggled at their reaction. The Dursleys scrambled to a corner of the room, Remus trying to calm them down but with no affect. 

"No need my dear Remus. I'm all ready present," said Albus Dumbledore suddenly, opening the door and closing it behind him as he entered the room. 

This sent the Dursleys' to the other corner of the room. Sirius couldn't help but laughed at the Dursleys while Remus merely shook his head at Sirius's behaviour. 

"Professor, Voldemort came. Here! I mean, I thought you said that he couldn't come and attack me when I'm here," said Harry, jumping up from his chair. 

Sirius placed his hands on Harry's shoulders to calm him down and asked him to sit down once again. He knew that Harry had gone through a great ordeal that day and wanted him to rest. Harry took his seat as Remus used his magic to bring him some chairs so that they could sit down together. The table in front of Harry magically move itself to the side of the room as three chairs placed itself in front of Harry's armchair. Albus Dumbledore took his seat in the middle with Remus on his left and Sirius on his right. The Dursleys were watching all this with disbelief. 

"Yes, it seems that he did. I'm sorry Harry. I shouldn't have let you leave Hogwarts this holiday and it seems like I was wrong," composed Professor Dumbledore, with a slight sign of regret in his voice. 

Lupin was now conjuring up a teapot and cups while Sirius conjured up a small, round, odd-looking, wooden table in front of them to place the teapot and cups. Harry was slightly taken aback that Professor Dumbledore actually wanted him to stay at Hogwarts when he always thought he would prefer him to stay with the Dursleys'. 

"What do we do now, Professor Dumbledore? I mean… Harry can't stay here. We already know what will happen if he does," asked Sirius while Remus was offering tea to Professor Dumbledore which he gladly accepted. 

"Now, Harry must come back with me to Hogwarts with the Dursleys," said Professor Dumbledore looking for the first time at the Dursleys who were crouching at corner of the room. 

The Dursleys got up and Uncle Vernon suddenly yelled, "I am NOT going to _your _world. Not with you lot!" 

"But I fear you must. We now know that Voldemort knows of your existence and your relationship with Harry. We cannot risk any of you being capture and held hostage just so he could get his hands on Harry. We must keep an eye on you until Voldemort have been capture or killed," said Professor Dumbledore calmly, standing. 

Remus and Sirius were also standing so if anything should happens they were ready. As for Harry, he was still sitting down, shock and unable to believe the words that Professor Dumbledore had just said. Aunt Petunia and Dudley were hugging behind Uncle Vernon, in fear of losing each other. 

'Living with them for a whole summer was bad enough. Even a day is killing me. Now I had to live with them at Hogwarts... The only place I would be away from them. I don't think I could live with myself then,' thought Harry, feeling very uneasy. 

"But Professor. Surely Voldemort will know better than to kidnap them to get to me. He knows that I won't come to rescue them even if they did get capture!" said Harry, now standing up. 

Sirius couldn't help it but laughed some more. Remus was also evidently hiding his laughter. Harry looked at his godfather. 

"Well Harry, **we **know that but unfortunately he doesn't. He'll kidnap them and when he finds out that it was a waste of time, he would surely kill them," explained Remus while the Dursleys looked terrified at that fact. 

"I couldn't care less," mumbled Harry, crossing his arms in front of him. 

"Harry…" Sirius gave him a warning tone. "I know you don't like them very much but they did, after all, raise you as their own," he continued. 

Harry snorted and Sirius could see that he mouthed the word 'hardly'. 

"Yes Harry. I agree with Professor Dumbledore and Sirius. We must keep a watchful eye on them so that Voldemort can't use them as bait to lure you into one of his traps. He has done that one too many times," said Remus as he cared for Harry's safety more than his relatives. 

After a few minutes of thinking, Harry sighed. 

"All right, if you insist, professor. But please, make them stay as far away from me as possible," Harry mumbled. 

"That's a good boy," Sirius said smiling while giving a pat on Harry's shoulder. 

Then, Dumbledore turned towards the Dursleys who backed until against the wall. 

"And I assume that you too agree with Harry?" asked Albus Dumbledore finally. 

Uncle Vernon stared for a few moments at Albus Dumbledore as if he was mad. But, when he thought it over, since he doesn't want he or any of his family to die for that sorry-excuse-of-a-nephew-of his, he nodded his head in sign that he agreed with Dumbledore suggestion. Albus Dumbledore smiled at his decision while Aunt Petunia and Dudley stared at Uncle Vernon. 

"Vernon! What are you thinking? Living with _their kind_!" said Mrs. Dursley, after finding her voice to speak up. 

"But Petunia, darling, think about it. Do we really have a choice? I mean we could have been killed. Do you want that to happen?" Mr. Dursley asked her. 

She too gave it a thought and decided to follow her husband's decision. Dudley was shaking his head, disapproving at his parents' decision. Aunt Petunia tried to explain to her 'little' angel that it was for the best while Uncle Vernon kept his eyes on the strangers. 

"Alright. Harry, you know what to do. I'm giving you, half an hour, which I assumed that would be enough time, for you to come down here again with your books and stuff. Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, please pack anything you think that would be important and please be quick," instructed Professor Dumbledore while Sirius helped Remus to put everything in the living room in order. 

Harry nodded and climbed the stairs, taking two stairs-steps at a time. He really didn't have to do much because he barely had the time to unpack since he just arrived last night. All he did was stuff the rest of the things into his trunk and then dragged it to the staircase. He past by Dudley's room and saw that Aunt Petunia was packing for him while he was yelling, "I don't want to go!" "Why must I?" "I want to bring all my toys" and "It's not fair!" As he was about to push his trunk down the stairs, Sirius came to help him. 

"Harry, I know this is hard but try to understand," Sirius started. 

Harry just frowned, not even making an effort to look at it their way. 

"Just please, make sure that the Dursleys stay away from me. I can't stand seeing them," said Harry. 

Professor Dumbledore and Remus then came to see if they could help. 

"Professor, would there by any chance which I hope would not be that…" Harry paused, as he really didn't want to say it. "That…Dudley will be sorted and put into a house and study like I do?" he said very quickly. _'Please say no, please say no, please say no,' _begged Harry in his mind. 

"I don't think he will, Harry. He might just be staying there and not studying with you but he will be there at the Hall during meals. Maybe you'll bump into him or his family once in a while. You never know," replied Professor Dumbledore 

Sirius carried his trunk down the stairs, helped by Remus and supervised by Professor Dumbledore. Harry just stood there and started to imagine things. 

_'What if Dudley starts an 'Anti-Harry' club or maybe does worse things'?_

At that thought, he quickly stopped thinking about it and quickly returned to his room because he forgot Hedwig's cage. In his room he saw the letter, which he has addressed to Professor Dumbledore. Seeing that he may be telling Professor Dumbledore about it later, he placed it in his pocket and had the cage in his hands. On the stairs, Harry gave the empty cage to Sirius. 

"She's not back yet?" whispered Sirius. 

"Nope. She doesn't like to stay here," replied Harry. 

Sirius smiled at Harry, as he now understood how Harry felt living with his only relatives. 

Just then, the Dursleys came downstairs with their bags, which Harry guessed was filled with useless things. Harry thought that Dudley had tried to stuff his computer in one of his bags. He guessed that wouldn't fit in it and was too heavy. Harry could actually see a computer game sticking out from an unzipped compartment. 

_'Boy, would he be surprise when he finds out that there isn't any electricity in Hogwarts,' _Harry thought to himself, smiling at the thought of how they would react, more of Dudley's actually. 

Remus offered to help the Dursleys with their luggage but they didn't trust him with them. Then, Harry remembered something and turned to talk to Professor Dumbledore, who was nicely humming to himself. 

"Err… Professor. Excuse me but I haven't bought my stuff for next term. I was wondering if we could stop by Diagon Alley so I could buy my books and stuff," Harry asked. 

"Ah, why yes, Harry. I need go down there myself. Have to get a book on how to knit," said Professor Dumbledore, his eyes twinkled behind his half-moon glasses. 

Harry knew why he wanted that book. It was because Albus Dumbledore told him that what he always wanted was a nice pair of socks as a Christmas present but never got it. 

"Alright then. Let's go," said Professor Dumbledore. 


	3. Diagon Ally

Disclaimer: I own nothin'. 

~*A Change of Mind*~ 

Chapter 3 

Diagon Alley 

Harry didn't notice it before but both Professor Dumbledore and Lupin changed clothes before they left Privet Drive so they would fit in like the rest of them. When Sirius turned into a dog, Harry almost burst into laughter when he saw the look on the Dursleys' face when they saw Sirius do that. They all went to the Leaky Cauldron by the underground. Harry saw that Professor Dumbledore wore an interesting suit that could surpass him as a normal, loving grandfather and Remus was wearing a blue shirt and black long pants. Sirius had to put on a collar, which he felt very uncomfortable wearing as he kept trying to scratch it off. Remus let Harry hold on to Sirius's leash. 

The journey there was quiet. Harry walked beside Lupin and held Sirius's leash, who was in his dog form, trotted beside him. Dumbledore was walking beside Lupin; both of them seemed to be in a deep conversation. The Dursleys, on the other hand, were walking way behind the four of them, so that other people wouldn't think that they were actually with the 'weird' bunch. 

Harry was really looking forward to getting there. It was partly because he wanted to show off to the Dursleys that he was famous. I mean, c'mon. If you were treated the same way he was, wouldn't you feel the same? 

When they outside the Leaky Cauldron, all seven of them entered together. Harry glanced over towards Aunt Petunia, who was looking extremely uncomfortable at the state of the place. Harry could see that Dudley and Uncle Vernon displayed the same expression on their faces. Harry knew very well that she wouldn't enter a place like this ever again even if her life depended on it. Harry couldn't help but to snicker. Remus turned towards Harry. 

"Sorry. Couldn't help myself," Harry said, now smiling away. 

Lupin smiled. It was the first time during this trip that he saw Harry laughing. They made their way to the back of the Leaky Cauldron and Uncle Vernon snorted. There was nothing there but a brick wall and a dustbin. 

"Buying your things here, Harry? A little empty, isn't it?" Uncle Vernon smirked. 

Harry sighed as Dumbledore looked at him. 

"Why don't you do it, Harry?" Dumbledore suggested and Harry nodded. 

He took out his wand and counted. 

_ 'Three up… two across. Ah this is the brick,' _he said to himself_. 'Here goes nothing.' _

He tapped the brick. The Dursleys burst into laughter as he did this. Harry let them laugh, as he now felt confident that he tapped the right brick. He backed up a bit and the brick he tapped began to quiver. Before the Dursleys' very eyes, the bricks began to move, creating an archway large enough for all of them to go through. Harry smiled to himself as he, once again saw the look of disbelieve on their faces. 

They made their way through the archway and then, there they were in Diagon Alley. He could see many people there as it was already nearing the beginning of school. Harry was excited of the hassle and bustle in Diagon Alley. He hadn't been there for quite a while now and he beginning to miss it. Professor Dumbledore and Remus were behind him, explaining to the Dursleys' about the place. Harry, not wanting to hear the things he already knew, decided to walk with Snuffles to the nearest shop. 

Suddenly, Harry could hear somebody calling his name from somewhere in the crowd. Harry turned around and saw Ron and Hermione waving madly at him, obviously trying to grab his attention. Harry just beamed.  
"Harry!" Ron yelled, as he was getting through the crowd to Harry. "Ouch! You stepped on my toe, Hermione."  
" Sorry," apologised Hermione. 

"Fancy meeting you here," said Ron. 

"Hey guys. Buying some last minutes stuff too?" Harry asked as both of his best friends managed to reach him.  
"Yeah. I need to re-stock my potions stuff. My supply of black beetle eyes is running a bit low. I have to restock them before Snape kills me," informed Hermione.  
"Hey Harry. How 'bout we go and take a look at the Quidditch stuff? I… Merlin's beard! Is that Professor Lupin?" Ron exclaims as he saw Remus as he was walking over towards them. 

Harry could hear the faint mumble behind him of Uncle Vernon mumbling something about Remus not even capable of teaching a kid to ride a bike. Harry ignored it and was sure that both Ron and Hermione haven't noticed their presences.  
"Professor. You came back!" said Ron. 

"Hello Ron, Hermione. Nice to see that you haven't forgotten about me," Remus laughed when he noticed the surprise in Ron's voice.  
"Professor Lupin! Please tell me that you will be teaching us again this year," Hermione exclaimed, looking just as excited as Ron. 

Remus just smiled at their reaction of his presence.  
"We shall see. Professor Dumbledore hasn't mention anything of wanting me to teach Defence Against Dark Arts. We better get going and start looking for the things you need to buy, Harry," said Remus.  
Remus turned towards Harry.  
"Have enough money on you, Harry?" he asked. 

Harry noticed that the Dursleys were now looking at him. Harry knew that by now they should know that their money was worthless here from Professor Dumbledore. So when they heard Lupin mention money, they naturally wanted to get their hands on some.  
"No. I spent most of it during the last time I was at Hogsmeade," Harry said quickly.  
"Okay then, first stop, Gringotts. Let's go, Harry," said Remus, raising one of his eyebrows at Harry's peculiar behaviour. 

Harry nodded and walked with his friends towards Gringotts, the Dursleys somewhere behind them. They were chatting about what happened at 'The Burrow' after Harry was dropped at Privet Drive.  
"You guys really haven't noticed them?" Harry asked suddenly, looking at both of them.  
"Notice who, Harry? Oh, you mean Snuffles? I've noticed-" said Ron, giving a pat on Snuffles head.  
"That wasn't whom I meant," Harry said, cutting Ron off. 

He pointed towards the three people whom Ron knew very well and clearly he was dumbfounded but Hermione didn't recognize them at all, looked back at Harry.  
"Who do you mean Harry? I didn't see anyone that I can recognize," asked Hermione. 

Ron and Harry looked at each other.  
"Well, now that I think about it, I don't think Herm has ever seen them before," Ron pointed out after recovering from the shock.  
"Herm, do you remember the Dursleys?" Harry asked Hermione.  
"Yes, of course. You have been talking about them for the past few years but I… Oh, my word. Harry, are those…" Hermione trailed off. 

Harry nodded weakly.  
"I'm afraid so," replied Harry sadly.  
"But... but... Why are they here? I mean... muggles...come here?" Ron stammered. "Not that all muggles are bad, Hermione, but…" 

Harry just sighed.  
"It's a **long **story. Actually, not that long but I'll tell you later in the train," he said. 

Both Ron and Hermione just nodded their head. Finally, they arrived at Gringotts. They all went inside except Dumbledore who told them to meet him at Florean Fortescue's Ice-Cream Parlour when they are done. The goblin in charge asked them for the key to Harry's vault and Harry handed it to the goblin. Then he called another goblin to take them down there, seeing that everything was in order.  
Naturally, the Dursleys wanted to come along for the ride. Two carts were needed to fit all of them. Harry, Hermione, Ron and Sirius were in the first and The Dursleys and Remus were in the other. After a few short minutes, they arrived at Harry's vault. The goblin placed the key and a green smoke came out. Once it was opened, Harry saw three figures passed him with a blur but he knew that they must have been the Dursleys. They were practically stealing Harry's money.  
"Hey, get out of there! This is Harry Potter's money!" the goblin yelled before Harry could. 

Uncle Vernon turned his head towards the goblin while he was still filling money into his pockets and said, "We're his guardians. We have every right to this money."  
"No they aren't! No you're not!" Harry yelled out loud.  
"Yes we are! Now shut up before I kill you!" Uncle Vernon snapped at him.  
"Put back all the money now or you'll be sorry!" Sirius, who had turned back into his human form, growled, his wand pointed towards them. 

The Dursleys stopped dead in their track but didn't do as he told them to do.  
"NOW!!" Sirius yelled, as light was starting to form at the tip of his wand. 

Uncle Vernon gave a yell as he emptied all the gold he took while Aunt Petunia and Dudley did the same. After making sure they hadn't taken anything, the goblin pulled them out of the vault and Harry stepped in, taking a little bit of the money his parents had left him into his pouch.  
"Never do that again or the next time you're in danger, it'll be because of me!" Sirius warned them. 

Then he transfigure back into his dog form. Lupin, on the other hand, had to perform a memory charm on the goblin to make forget that he had just saw Sirius Black. 

When Harry was done, they climbed into the cart. The Dursleys were still shaking from the warning Sirius had given them and soon they were walking around Diagon Alley, getting Harry his school supplies without a sound from them. They kept their distance from the black dog, which was at Harry's side.  
  
  
  


~*~ 

  
It was nearly nightfall when Harry had got everything he needed for school. They went to meet Professor Dumbledore and all of them decided to spend the night there and travel on the Hogwarts' train tomorrow. Harry knew that Voldemort wouldn't come after him with Dumbledore around. 

After their dinner (The Dursleys didn't even bother to sit on the same table with Harry, Lupin, Dumbledore, Sirius, Hermione and most of the Weasleys whom Harry met during his hunt for his school supplies that evening), all of them got six rooms to accommodate all of them. One was for Hermione and Ginny. Next to their room was Harry and Ron's room. Remus and Sirius got the room next to them. Mr. And Mrs. Weasley got the room across the hall from Sirius and Lupin's while the Dursleys got the room next to them, across from Harry and Ron's room. Dumbledore got the room next to that.  
Both Harry and Ron didn't get much sleep that night because Ron was busy asking questions about what had really happened that day until Professor Dumbledore could do such a thing as asking the Dursleys to come with Harry to Hogwarts.  
"C'mon Harry. Something bad must have happened if even Dumbledore is here with you," Ron asked Harry who was busy packing his stuff into his trunk so that they could leave quickly tomorrow morning. 

Hermione was there too. She and Ron had placed themselves on Ron's bed.  
"Yeah Harry. You always tell us. Why is it that it's different this time?" Hermione agreed. 

Finally, Harry sighed and shut his trunk. He took a seat on his bed.  
"Do you remember what you told me yesterday?" Harry asked Hermione and she nodded.  
"Yeah. I told you not to worry because Voldemort would never attack you there," said Hermione.  
"Well, he did," said Harry. 

Hermione looked shocked and Ron fell off the bed. It was obvious to Harry that he shouldn't have told them if these were their reactions. Ron later got back on the bed and rubbing his elbow.  
"He did? Oh my god. Harry, are you okay? Did he do anything to you?" Hermione asked with concern. 

Harry just nodded.  
"But Dumbledore said that he would never-" Ron managed to find his voice  
"I know but Voldemort did. He tried to attack me… with Dementors," Harry cut Ron off.  
"With WHAT?" both Ron and Hermione exclaimed together.  
"Yeah but I managed to hold them off using the Patronus spell. Luckily for me Professor Lupin was just about to get me to go to his house or something. He managed to sneak up on Voldemort but he apparated before Lupin could do anything," Harry explained. 

Harry had totally left out some finer things like him about to faint and Wormtail able to use his metallic hand for a wand, as he didn't want to make a big deal about it.  
"Wow. I never thought that he could do that," Ron said but his voice was barely a whisper.  
"Yeah. And then, Sirius and Dumbledore showed up. Dumbledore thought it was better if they'd come to Hogwarts with us so Voldemort couldn't use them to get to me," Harry continued. 

Ron snorted.  
"Yeah right. Even if Voldemort did capture them and held them hostage, you still wouldn't rescue them, right Harry?" 

Harry chuckled. 

Hermione looked at both of them.  
"But Harry, you've got to remember that Mr. And Mrs. Dudley **did** raise you. It would be the least you could do," she said.  
"Well, that was what Sirius told me. I guess, at some point, it **is** true. So, I didn't object," Harry shrugged.  
"Don't worry Harry. I'm sure that Dudley won't come near you," Ron said, patting Harry's back.  
"I sure hope you're right, Ron. I sure hope so," said Harry, feeling a little worry. 

  
~*~  
  
  
  


"Mum, why do we have to follow Harry to his awful school?" Dudley wined. 

He was lying in between Mrs. Dursley and Mr. Dursley (A/N: god knows how they managed that.).  
"We don't have a choice, Duddikins. I don't want the bad man to come after you and take my little angel away from me," Mrs. Dudley said, hugging Dudley close to her.  
"Petunia, did you see all that gold in there?" asked Mr. Dursley suddenly.  
"Yes. Oh Vernon, we have to get it from him," Mrs. Dursley beamed, thinking about the gold.  
"We have to. We will think of a way to get it from him," Mr. Dursley said. 

He was thinking of ways he could get the key away from Harry until he fell asleep. 


	4. Platform 9 ¾

Disclaimer: I own nothin' 

~*A Change of Mind*~ 

Chapter 4 

Platform 9 3/4 

  
"Harry, dear, wake up. We have to go before we miss the train," a voice called Harry. 

Harry stirred and opened his eyes, only to see the form of Mrs. Weasley smiling down at him. He sat up on the bed and started rubbing his eyes, grabbing his glasses from the table beside the bed. Ron was awake too, stretching himself and mumbling something. 

"Good morning Mrs. Weasley. Morning Ron," Harry mumbles.  
"Morning," Ron groaned. 

"Make sure that you have everything before we leave," she said before leaving the room, closing the door behind her.  
"You wanna use the bathroom first or shall I?" Harry asked.  
"You go first. I can't even see the room properly," Ron mumbled. 

Harry laughed as he made his way towards the bathroom. After about 10 minutes, he came out and called over to Ron who had fallen back to sleep.  
"Ron! Wake up and hurry! We gotta go down," Harry yelled as he grabbed and threw a pillow to him.  
"What? Oh. Okay," Ron mumbled as he threw the pillow back at Harry. 

Harry caught the pillow before it could hit him in the face. He then threw it onto his bed. He came out from the bathroom 10 minutes later, looking much more alive while Harry changed his clothes.  
"Your mom told us to make sure everything's pack before we go down," Harry told him.  
"Yeah, yeah. Whatever," Ron answered. 

Both Harry and Ron started to make sure that they have everything packed.  
"Ready to go down?" said a voice from the doorway. 

It was Ginny with Hermione beside her.  
"Hang on for a sec. We need to check if we have everything before we leave," Ron said, tossing some of the books that he had bought the day before into his trunk.  
"I'm all set," said Harry, shutting his trunk tight.  
"Me too," Ron followed suit.  
"Then, let's go. I'm starving," Ginny said cheerfully. 

All four of them then made their way downstairs to get some breakfast before they would have to go to King Cross Station. There, Dumbledore, Snuffles, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were already seated along with another two other red heads.  
"Fred! George! What are you two doing here?" Ron asked as he sat next to his brothers.  
"Hey guys. We closed our shop today. We're going to see you off," Fred smirked.  
"Good morning, sir," Harry greeted Dumbledore, who stopped reading the Daily Prophet, smiled back at him.  
"Good morning Harry. Are all of your things ready?" Dumbledore asked, setting his paper down beside his plate.  
"Yes sir. Sir, I don't have to be with them during the school term, do I? And they're not going to be attending the start of the term banquet, are they?" Harry asked, still worrying about Dudley hanging around him. 

Dumbledore just smiled.  
"Yeah Professor. I don't think any of us would want that," Ron agreed as he started digging into his pancakes.  
"No, Harry. They won't be near you but Dudley might bump into you once in a while and yes, they will be attending the banquet and other meals. But I must ask you, Harry, to be careful. Even if you are in Hogwarts, Voldemort may attempt to lure you out."  
  
"Can Snuffles stay with me?" Harry asked as he glanced over at Snuffles who were eating a piece of bacon. 

He looked up, the piece of bacon dangling from his teeth when he heard his name.  
"Yes he can but he won't be with you all the time. Ron and Hermione will, though. But all the same," Dumbledore reminded him. 

Just then, both of them turned around to find Lupin frowning at the Dursleys.  
"Never could imagine a harder lot to wake up until I met them," Lupin mumbled under his breath. 

Harry just laughed. The Dursleys aren't the type of people who would wake up at the crack of dawn plus waking them up is like waking up the dead. He watched as the Dursleys made their way towards the empty table beside the one Harry and the others were sitting.  
"Whoa! What are they doing here?" George choked, pointing towards the Dursleys.  
"They're coming with us to Hogwarts," Hermione mumbled. 

Both Fred and George choked on their pancakes.  
"What!" they yelled simultaneously.  
"But-" Fred asked.  
"Why?" George continued.  
"You really don't wanna know," mumbled Harry. 

After that, nobody said anything. 

  
~*~  
  
  
  
  


They arrived at the King Cross Station 40 minutes before time. Harry pushed his trolley towards the entrance with Ron and Hermione on either side of him and waited for Mr. Dursley who was putting his trunks onto another trolley. Dudley was standing next to Mrs. Dursley and was falling asleep. He wasn't quite use to the idea he had to wake up at the crack of dawn just to get to King Cross Station on time. Dumbledore, on the other hand, was waiting patiently near the taxi. Lupin, who was beside Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, was constantly checking his watch, making sure that they weren't late. Fred, George and Ginny were fooling around not too far away from where Harry was standing.  
"Come here, boy and help me get this trunk on to the trolley," Mr. Dursley snapped.  
"You didn't say the magic word," Harry smiled. 

Dudley gave a small cry and hid behind his mother.  
"What did you say boy?" Mr. Dursley asked slowly. 

Harry frowned.  
"What he meant was, the word 'please'," Ron said, rolling his eyes.  
"COME HERE and GET THIS BAG ONTO THE TROLLEY!" Mr. Dursley boomed. 

Everyone there who is related to Harry in some way was immediately taken aback at his tone.  
"You, Vernon, could do well if you would just be more polite at him," Lupin said, trying very hard to control his anger. 

Harry was, after all, one of his best friend's children. Mr. Dursley stepped back and fumbled with his trunk, not daring to ask Harry for help again.  
Finally, after 20 minutes of waiting, Harry was pushing his trolley towards the platform.  
"Where is this platform of yours, boy?" Mr. Dursley asked, remembering very well what had happened during Harry's first time of going to Hogwarts.  
"You'll find out soon enough," Harry replied, getting annoyed at the idea he had to see this ugly lot throughout his term in Hogwarts.  
"I bet you don't even know where it is," Dudley laughed.  
"If I don't know where it is, then how do you think I get to school every year?" Harry asked him back. 

Dudley just scratched his head.  
"C'mon Harry. You and Ron will go through it first," Lupin said, giving Harry a little push. 

Harry nodded and pushed his trolley straight at the barrier between platform nine and ten. When the Dursleys thought that he was going to crash, they saw Harry disappear into the wall. Then Ron followed suit.  
"How'd he do that?" exclaimed Dudley, now sounding very frightened.  
"Now, it's your turn. Just walked towards the barrier between platforms nine and ten. Don't worry about anything. Just act as if it was normal. Go on. You first, Mr. Dursley," Professor Dumbledore said, pointing towards the barrier.  
"I'm not going through that thing. I might crash!" Mr. Dudley said.  
"You're going to have to. It's the only way to get to the platform," Professor Dumbledore said again. 

While they were arguing, Hermione, Ginny, Fred, George, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley had already gone through the barrier.  
"I'm going through it. C'mon, Albus. The train leaves in 5 minutes," Remus said, passing the barrier with Snuffles. 

Remus saw that Harry, Hermione and Ron had clearly waited for him and Snuffles. 

Meanwhile Mr. Dudley finally gave up the argument. Professor Dumbledore reminded him that they were doing this to save their skins from Lord Voldemort. He walked through the barrier with Dudley and Mrs. Dursley.  
Once through the barrier, they all looked around.  
"I don't believe it. So this is how you get to your school, you brat!" Mr. Dursley sneered when he saw Harry and his friends. 

Harry was trying very hard to control his anger. Just then, Remus and Snuffles walked over towards Harry, Ron and Hermione who were loading their trunks onto the train.  
"Need any help?" Remus said as he offered his assistance to them. 

All of them looked up and smiled.  
"No, thanks Professor," Hermione said. 

Just then, a couple of students came up towards them.  
"Professor Lupin! Welcome back! We really miss you!" said a happy looking 5th year to Remus.  
"Yeah Professor. Do come back and teach us," agreed another 5th year boy that Harry also couldn't recognize. 

Remus just laughed.  
"Come on now, all of you. I still haven't been asked to teach you guys. Well now, onto the train. It'll be leaving in 5 minutes," Remus smiled as he watched all of them walked away.  
"What kind of magic could you possibly teach? Pulling a rabbit out of a hat?" Uncle Vernon smirked. 

Suddenly, Harry felt something inside in him snapped. He took out his wand and pointed it towards Uncle Vernon's face.  
"Never-" he said, breathing heavily, " insult any of my friends in front of me! You're on my turf now, Vernon! I can do whatever magic now so I'm warning you, watch what you say in front of me!" Harry yelled, not even bothering to call him uncle anymore. 

Uncle Vernon, on the other hand, was sweating now. Lupin placed his hand on Harry's shoulder.  
"Come on, Harry. He didn't mean it. Put your wand down," Lupin said gently. 

He didn't want Harry to be in trouble because of him and he feels that Harry shouldn't risk being in trouble just because of them too. Harry overcame his anger and slowly lowered his wand. Without saying sorry, he continued to load his stuff onto the train. Ron just patted his back and Hermione just smiled. Uncle Vernon collapsed on the floor with Dudley and Aunt Petunia by his sides.  
"He'll be fine," Hermione said, coldly. 

Harry just nodded. Remus helped Uncle Vernon up.  
  
"You wanted to know what I teach, Mr. Dursley. Well, I teach D.A.D.A.," Lupin smiled. 

Despite what had happened earlier, Uncle Vernon still managed to give him a smirk.  
"D.A.D.A.? What is that? Dissect All Disgusting Animals?" he spat out.  
"No. It's Defence Against Dark Arts. So if I were you, Mr. Vernon, I suggest that you watch what you say to me because I know a lot of spells that could make you tremble with fear just by listening of what it does," said Remus, beginning to lose his temper too. 

With that, Remus walked away.  
  
  



	5. Hogwarts Express

A/N: Hello peeps! Got a few things to say. First of all, thank you so much for all those 

who reviewed and for those who flamed me, well, thanks for taking the 

time to read anyway. This human isn't exactly a pro in English or anything and would like 

to ask all those human who's reading this right now if they can be an editor or 

something to this human. 

A/N 2 : I've changed some part of this story so that it'll make some sense. It took place in 

Harry's 7th year instead of his 5th year. Hermione's the Head Girl and Draco's 

(he's so cute!!!) the Head Boy. Harry's the Gryffindor Quidditch captain. This 

story will have some… err… a few… err… a lot, I guess, of Hermione and 

Draco. Harry's in here too, don't worry. Draco will have an important part of the 

story but the spotlight is still on Harry. 

A/N 3 : I wanna know if you prefer Dudley to be enrolling to Hogwarts or not. If you 

want him to be, which house will he be in? I'll follow the majority. 

A/N 4 : Sorry if my English and grammar is terrible. English isn't exactly my first 

language. 

Disclaimer: Harry ain't mine! =( 

~*A Change of Mind*~ 

Chapter 5 

Hogwarts Express 

"C'mon Harry. We gotta get on the train," Ron said after they'd finish loading their stuff into the train. 

Harry didn't object. Hermione, Ginny, Ron and himself just climbed into the train and found themselves an empty compartment. Then they stuck their heads out through the window. 

"Bye guys. Be naughty… oops, I mean nice," Fred corrected himself after he saw Mrs. Wesley's glare. 

All four of them just laughed. 

"Yes, be good. Oh, I almost forgot. Congratulations, Hermione, in being elected as Head Girl!" Mrs. Weasley said. 

Hermione blushed as Harry, Ron and Ginny looked at her. 

"Head Girl? And when exactly were you planning to share this little information with us, Miss Granger?" Ron asked. 

"Well, I wanted it to be a surprise. Besides, Harry didn't tell you that he **is the new Quidditch captain**!" Hermione said. 

This time, Harry blushed. 

"How'd you find out?" asked Harry, curiously. 

"It was so obvious, Harry," Hermione said, rolling her eyes. 

"Good to know that Gryffindor will win the House Cup again this year," George smiled. 

"Yes Harry. Congratulations!" Mrs. Weasley said again. 

Just then, the train whistle blew and the train began to move. 

"Bye mum! We'll send you an owl when we get there!" Ginny cried out. 

"Bye mom! Bye dad! Bye Fred! Bye George!" Ron yelled. 

"Bye Mr. and Mrs. Weasley! Bye Fred! Bye George!" Both Harry and Hermione called out, all of them waving at them. 

After a few more minutes, they sat down. 

"Harry! I can't believe you never told me that you are the Quidditch captain!" Ron exclaimed then he turned to Hermione "And I can't believe _you_ didn't tell me that you are Head Girl." 

Hermione shrugged. Ginny had left the compartment without anyone's notice and left the doors opened. 

"Well, I really wanted it to be a surprise. Oh yes, I almost forgot. Do you know who's the Head Boy?" Hermione asked, looking at both of them. 

"Who?" both Harry and Ron chorused. 

"Draco Malfoy!" 

"What!" they exclaimed. 

"I know. Well, I suppose it wouldn't be **that **bad," she mumbled. 

"Herm, are you nuts! This is Draco Malfoy we're talking about! Since when is he someone we can trust?" Ron pointed out. 

"Since when indeed?" another voice asked. 

All three of them turned to looked at the owner of the voice. It was Draco himself with Crabbe and Goyle standing on either side of him. 

"Sod off, Malfoy," Harry said under his breath. 

"I see you've learn a new word, Potter. Very good. I will try very hard to top that last one," Malfoy smirked. 

He turned towards Hermione. 

"Can't imagine how I'm going to work with a Mudblood. I just hope that you can keep up," Malfoy said in disgust. 

With this, Hermione's face turned red from anger but she manages to control it. It was Ron who sprang up form his seat. 

"Why I ought to…" he said but Harry grabbed him by the collar of his shirt before he could pounce on top of Malfoy. 

"No Ron. He's not worth-it," Hermione mumbled as she helped Harry make Ron sit. 

Malfoy was about to open his mouth to say something nasty but another voice spoke up from behind him. 

"No trouble I hope," it went. 

Malfoy and his gang spun around only to find Professor Dumbledore. 

"No sir," Malfoy mumbled before he and his gang walked away. 

"I wonder what Head Boy will he turn out to be," Hermione said and Dumbledore only smiled. 

"Yes, we all wonder, Miss Granger," Dumbledore said with a sign of curiosity in his voice. 

Then he walked away. 

"I wonder how they pick out the person to be Head boy?" asked Ron. "And Head girl too," he continued as he saw Hermione glaring at him. 

"Oh boy. This is going to be one very interesting year," Harry said. 

"Cheer up, Harry. At least we can torment that cousin of yours. Where is he anyway?" Ron asked. 

"I don't care. Hey Herm, don't the Head girl and Head boy have their own bedroom or something?" Harry asked. 

Hermione smiled and nodded. 

"I don't really know how it will look like but I hope it's not that close to Malfoy's room. Hey, do you think Professor Lupin going to teach us D.A.D.A. this year? I really wish he would. I can't stand another vampire for a teacher like last year," Hermione said. 

"Hey, I think he was kinda cool. Remember that trick we played on him, Harry? That garlic bread we fed him? Boy, his face was really priceless," Ron laughed and was soon joined by Harry. 

"That's not funny. He was almost killed. You're so lucky that Dumbledore haven't figure that it was you two who did it," said Hermione, angrily. 

"Well, at least we got a few days off from it," Harry pointed out. 

"And why was that necessary?" Hermione asked. 

"Because it gave us time to figure out other pranks to pull on him. We didn't come up with anything else that good though. What a pity," Ron said, shaking his head. 

"Honestly, you two are impossible to understand sometimes," said Hermione, as she took out a book from her bag. 

"Sometimes?" Ron asked. 

"Fine. Always. Happy?" Hermione said. 

"Much better," replied Ron, as he gave a 'high-five' to Harry. 

Ron was busy telling Harry about how Bill was tricked by the twins by something they invented when Dudley poked his head through the open doors. Ron stopped talking at once. Hermione, who was reading 'Standard Book of Spells, Year 7', looked up from the book to see who it was. 

"What do **you** want?" Harry asked him, without looking at his cousin. 

"Just wondering why there are only **three **of you in here," he smirked. 

"What do you mean?" Hermione asked him. 

Harry was surprised that Hermione was the one who spoke and not Ron. Dudley looked at her and Harry could've sworn that he saw Dudley blush. 

"Are you two Harry's only friends?" Dudley spoke again. 

Just as Harry was about to reply, Neville, Seamus and Dean came in the compartment. 

"Hey Harry! Wanna play some Exploding Snap?" Seamus asked while Dean was taking out the cards from his pocket. 

"Sure!" Harry replied. 

All seven of them tried to make themselves as comfortable as possible in the compartment. While Dean was shuffling the cards, Harry looked over towards Dudley and was relieved to see he was leaving him alone and looked interested in playing instead. Harry smiled to himself as they started to play. 

A/N: Sorry it's so short but I kinda need to know if you want Dudley to be enrolling into 

Hogwarts or not!


	6. Hogwarts… More Surprises.

A/N: Special thanks to Kimbra and Dunderhead! Sorry Kimbra for not going along 

with the idea that I should put Dudley into Slytherin but I will make Snape hate 

him! For not using your idea, I dedicate this chapter to you okay? 

Disclaimer: I own nothin' 

~*A Change of Mind*~ 

Chapter 6 

Hogwarts… More Surprises. 

The trip to Hogwarts was a blur to Harry. Partly it was because Dean, Seamus, Ron, Hermione, Ginny and himself was busy playing Exploding Snap. Dudley had left them after a while, as he felt not welcomed. They enjoyed themselves so much that they didn't notice that they were almost there until the announcement was made. 

"We will be arriving at Hogwarts in five minutes. Please leave your luggage, as they will be brought into the castle separately. Thank you," went the announcement. 

"Well, c'mon Ginny. We better change before we get there," Hermione said as she grabbed her bag from her seat and left the compartment. 

Ginny followed suit and both of them exited the compartment to change. Harry closed the doors behind them. 

"Hey Harry. Who was that kid we saw when we came? I've never seen him before and he looks our age," Seamus said as he puts on his uniform. 

"He's Dudley, my cousin. The muggle I have to live with during the summer holidays," Harry mumbles, wishing they hadn't mentioned it. 

"What's a muggle doing here? No offence Dean," Seamus asked again. 

Dean mumbled something that sounded like 'none taken' through the robes that he was trying to pull on. 

"You don't wanna know. Anyway he won't be any trouble 'cos he's not going to be enrolling," said Harry, who was now pulling on his uniform too. 

"Too bad. I would love to see the look on his face if Snape says he's gonna put poison in Dudley's food when he least expects it, just to see if his antidote works," Ron snorted, remembering the incident that happened to him before. 

Harry laughed. 

"What - a – sight – that – would - be," Harry managed to say between his laughs. 

They all had put on their uniforms when suddenly the door slides open and Professor Dumbledore himself stood at the doorway. 

"Good Evening, Sir. We were just leaving," Seamus said as he felt the train came to a stop. 

Dumbledore nodded. 

"Well, we all have to get off the train to get to the school. Please, don't let me be the one to stop you. You all can go except for you, Mr. Potter. I need to have a few words with you," said Professor Dumbledore, smiling. 

Harry would have felt he had done something wrong if Professor Dumbledore hadn't said it with a smile. All three of them nodded and exited the room, bumping into Ginny and Hermione on the way out. Hermione gave Ron a questioning look and Ron mouthed 'He wants to talk to Harry'. Hermione nodded her head and followed Dean's lead. 

"You wish to speak to me, Professor?" Harry asked as he watched the rest of his friends leave without him. 

"Yes. Please, have a seat. Even though this will only take a moment but I'm sure that you will find this news rather shocking," Professor Dumbledore said as he himself took a seat while Harry took the one opposite of him. 

"Well, I have been discussing this matter with Remus, Minerva and… Snuffles and we came to a conclusion that Dudley will be enrolling into Hogwarts after all," Dumbledore said slowly. 

It took Harry a few minutes to absorb this information and when it finally did, he jumped to his feet. 

"WHAT! Professor, please. I BEG you to reconsider. I can't be in the same room with him for barely a few seconds and now you're telling me that I might be in the same room with him during my meals AND MY CLASSES? He can't even hold a wand properly. Heck! He doesn't even have a wand. How do you expect him to… to… transfigure a match into a needle? He can't do it!" Harry exclaimed angrily, totally forgetting that he was actually talking to his headmaster. 

He can't believe this is happening. He felt that he could have exploded in rage. 

"Please Harry. Calm down. I realize that this is very shocking news to you but please, you have to look at it another way. He will not be in the 7th year like you. Instead he will be joining us, as a first year since, as you have mention earlier, can't even hold a wand properly. We are still not sure what house he will be sorted in until he has put on the Sorting Hat so let's not assume that he would be sorted into Gryffindor like you have suggested. We need him to at least know the basic ways to defend himself if Voldemort decides to kill them. I am sorry Harry but it seems as if we have no choice," explained Professor Dumbledore. 

Harry was too shock to say anything so he just flopped down to the seat he had been sitting on earlier. 

"I can't believe this is happening to me. I was hoping that this year would be just as exciting as the last six years that I have been attending Hogwarts but it seems as if I was wrong. I can't possibly do anything with Dudley around the school. He will tell everything I do is against the rules just to get me expelled. I don't need this now. I've got N.E.W.T.s to go through this year and a Quidditch cup to win. I **really** don't need this right now," Harry mumbles as he puts his head on his hands. 

There was a short pause before Harry spoke again. 

"Do the other Dursleys agree with this?" said Harry, softly. 

"We haven't told them yet. We thought that it was best if you were the one to inform them about this matter," said Professor Dumbledore. 

After a moment of thinking, Harry had no other choice than to agree. 

"Alright, Professor. I hope you know what you're doing and I trust you _will_ do the right thing for all of us. It is because of this, that I am agreeing. I just hope that he won't be sorted into Gryffindor. Now that I think about it, I don't think that he is worthy enough to be sorted into _any_ of the houses. Not even Hufflepuff," said Harry. 

"Now, now Harry. We will leave that for the Sorting Hat to decide," Professor Dumbledore said with a smile and twinkle in his eyes. "But I need you to be there when I tell this to the Dursleys. I'm not sure they will agree to this but we have to make them agree. It's the only way so that they will have at least some defence against Voldemort." 

"I doubt that they will listen to anything I say but sure, Professor. Just lead the way," Harry said in a small voice. 

Professor Dumbledore nodded and led Harry towards the very end of the train, which Harry guessed where the Dursleys were sitting. Professor Dumbledore looked at Harry for a moment before he opened the door. There they were, sitting in the compartment. Dudley was sitting opposite his parents, Mr. Dursley sitting nearer to the doors. 

"Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, I have a few matter to discuss before we make our way to Hogwarts," Professor Dumbledore said to the two grown ups. 

Uncle Vernon grunted and he moved towards the other side of the compartment, leaving his seat empty so that Professor Dumbledore and Harry could sit. Professor Dumbledore and Harry sat down and then Professor Dumbledore continued. 

"You see, I have been discussing with few of our most important professors and we have come down to a conclusion that Dudley will have to be enrolled into Hogwarts," Professor Dumbledore started. 

Well, as Harry had guessed, both Vernon and Petunia's action were more or less what Harry had done except that Harry didn't cry like Petunia did. 

"I will NOT have Dudley learning what _he's_ learning! I forbid Dudley to enter that school," Uncle Vernon boomed and jumped from his seat. 

Aunt Petunia didn't say anything but just cry and held Dudley closer to her. Professor Dumbledore remained calm. 

"The reason we have to do this is because your son is your only hope against Voldemort if he chooses to attack you. He will be taught on how to defend himself when the time requires him to do so. Surely Harry won't be with you all the time because he has other responsibilities," continued Professor Dumbledore. 

"_Him?_ What responsibilities does he have? He couldn't save us even if he was there," Vernon smirked. 

Harry took a deep breath and spoke. 

"I don't like this any better than you do but Professor Dumbledore says that it is for your own protection. Imagine being face to face with the man that came to the house the other day without _me_ to protect you like I did before. Now, if Dudley had been taught on how to use a wand properly and how to defend himself when the time comes, at least that will give us a chance to try and figure out where you are before Voldemort kills you," Harry said, crossing his arm in front of his chest, looking down at his extended legs and eventually closed his eyes. 

"Harry is right. Please reconsider, Mr. Dursley, because it **is** for your own good. Dudley could be your only hope if Harry isn't there," said Professor Dumbledore, trying to make the Dursleys see his point. 

Vernon kept quiet and took his seat, discussing quietly with Petunia and Dudley on about what to do. Harry wasn't bothered to listen and kept his distance until Vernon cleared his throat. 

"Well, if the only way we are going to survive this Voldemort fellow is by getting Dudley into this school of yours, we agree as long as _he_ isn't in the same class as Dudley. I want Dudley to be in the first class along with the smart kids-" said Vernon 

Harry interrupted him before Vernon could continue. 

"First and foremost, I am in the 7th year and he will be in the first year. He lacks the skills to be in the same year as I am although we are of the same age. There are no first classes and last classes. There will be only one class and that is the same in the other schoolhouses. He will be sorted into a house and that house will be like a family to him. He will sleep in his dorm room, eat at his house table and go to classes with the rest of his house members. There are four houses. Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin. He will be sorted into the house when we get to the castle," Harry went on like an encyclopedia, obviously trying to keep his temper, as he was just insulted. 

Dumbledore merely smile. 

"Don't worry about your son's books and uniforms. I have spare books for your son to use in my office. I have also sent for Mr. Ollivander and Madam Malkin. Both of them should be arriving after we get into school," said Professor Dumbledore, smiling because the matter went well. 

Harry looked up as Professor Dumbledore said this and saw that Vernon's face turned scarlet. He was mumbling something under his breath. 

"Excuse me?" Professor Dumbledore asked. 

"I haven't any wizard money. How am I going to pay?" Vernon mumbles again, turning redder with every word. 

Harry giggled as he never saw his uncle expressing embarrassment before and Professor Dumbledore looked at him, looking quite amused himself but gave Harry a warning look anyway. 

"Well, do you have any muggle money with you now?" Professor Dumbledore asked. 

Vernon nodded his head. 

"Could you please give them to me?" asked Professor Dumbledore, very politely. 

Harry watched as Vernon pulled out his wallet and handed Dumbledore some 50 dollars notes. Dumbledore mumbled something under his breath and the muggle money turned into wizard money. 

"Now, shall we proceed to the school? Harry, I'm sure your team is waiting for their captain to join them before the feast starts," said Professor Dumbledore as he got up and helped Aunt Petunia and Harry up. 

Harry heard Vernon and Dudley snort. 

"Captain? You? At what?" Dudley smirked. 

"None of your business. Remember Dudley. At school, I am your senior and you have to listen to me," Harry said as he pulled something out from his pocket and pinned it to his uniform. 

Before Dudley could get a better look, Harry pulled his cloak around him. 

The journey to the school using the horseless carriage was quiet. Professor Dumbledore and Harry took seat on one side of the carriage while the Dursleys' took the other side. It was raining so everyone pulled up their cloaks. Professor Dumbledore noticed that Harry was shivering so he reached into one of his cloak pocket and pulled out a bar of chocolate. He broke a piece and then he ate it. Then he broke another piece, bigger than the previous one and gave it to Harry. Harry gladly accepted it and whispered thanks to him. Professor Dumbledore smiled at Harry, with a twinkle in his eyes. He then broke another piece and offered it to Dudley. Before Dudley could take it, Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon told Professor Dumbledore that they didn't need it. Nobody wanted to say anything so Harry kept looking outside, waiting for the view of the school. When he finally saw it, Harry smiled to himself. 

"I feel sorry to leave all this behind during the summer holidays and now it will be my last year right. The past years here have been the most exciting and enjoyable years of my life," Harry said to Professor Dumbledore. 

He just smiled. 

"Yes, I will be sad when the great Harry Potter finally graduates from Hogwarts with the rest of his classmates. I just hope that you don't forget about all of us at Hogwarts," said Professor Dumbledore. 

"I would never forget about it. I'm sure that I would need to remind Ron a couple of times about it but I'm under the impression that Hermione will be returning to this school as a teacher. She's really smart and would be good at teaching," Harry said. 

"Miss Granger has been the most intelligent student Hogwarts have ever seen and it would certainly be an honour to have her working with us," Dumbledore said, smiling. 

"Yeah but don't tell her I said that," Harry said, turning to look at the older man sitting beside him. 

"I have already forgotten that this conversation, we had just now, existed," said Professor Dumbledore, smiling and then started humming to himself. 

Harry smiled and turned to look at the view once again. After a few more minutes, the carriage came to a stop and all of them got off. 

Harry, who allowed the Dursleys off before he did, was happy to see that the sight of the school took them aback. Harry merely smiled as he and Professor Dumbledore made their way to the Great Hall. The sorting ceremony hasn't started as they were waiting for Professor Dumbledore. All the conversations came to a halt when all five of them entered the hall. Harry spotted his friends at the end of the Gryffindor table, which was nearest to the staff table and went to join them while the Dursleys followed Professor Dumbledore to the staff table. Then, Professor Dumbledore motioned them to sit at the three empty seats at the end of the table, closer to the Gryffindor's house table. 

The usual ceremony took place. Professor McGonagall called Dudley and asked him to follow her to the chamber which the first years are suppose to wait in before they are called out for the sorting ceremony. Ron, who was sitting beside Harry, whispered something. Hermione was on his other side. 

"Harry, what did Professor Dumbledore talk to you about?" whispered Ron. 

"That Dudley will be sorted along with the rest of the first year students," Harry whispered back. 

"WHAT! How come?" Hermione whispered back fiercely. 

"I'll tell you later," Harry said when he saw Snape looking at them. 

Just then, the first years were led to the front of the hall and Professor McGonagall placed the Sorting Hat on the stool. Their attention was drawn to the hat. 

* Okay Peeps. This is where I leave you to make up your own tunes for the Sorting Hat song. I'm not good at it so make one up if you like. * 

As soon as the Sorting Hat finished its song, the room burst into applause. 

"When I call your name, you will step forward, put on the hat and sit on the stool. It will tell you which house you will be sorted into. Burns, Jade," Professor McGonagall called out. 

A girl with blond hair came up, looking rather nervous. After a few moments… 

"Ravenclaw!" the Sorting Hat yells. 

The second table from the left clapped and cheered as Jade went to join them. 

"Clarington, Greg." 

"Slytherin!" 

"Diggleburgs, Lance." 

"Hufflepuff!"  
"Domes, Mandy." 

"Hufflepuff!" 

"Dursley, Dudley." 

Harry watched as Dudley made his way to the stool and put on the Sorting Hat. It actually took the hat two whole minutes before it finally shouted the house he belonged to. Harry felt his world going blur as it did. 

"Gryffindor!" 


	7. Head Boy and Head Girl

A/N : Hello again… Okay, I _think_ this story is getting more interesting. Oh yeah, before I 

forgot, for those who had read the story earlier, I advice you to read it again 'cos I 

have change the story yet again. Nothing major 'cos I had my friend help me. My 

temporary Beta Reader. Actually, I drag her along and kinda force her to correct 

me and stuff and she made some changes. Read it if you like. Just remember to 

Review, k? More A/N at the end of the storie… 

A/N 2 : English is not my first language so when you see mistakes, try to remember that. 

Disclaimer : I do NOT own anything! 

*~*A Change of Mind*~* 

Chapter 7 

Head Boy and Head Girl 

"Harry… Harry wake up. Are you alright?" said a distance voice, pulling Harry back to reality. 

Harry opened his eyes. He saw Hermione kneeling down by him, looking extremely worried. Harry found himself on the floor, lying on his back. 

"Herm? Wha- what happened?" Harry asked weakly as he sat up. 

Ron and Hermione were at his sides. 

"You fainted. You gave us a scare there. Are you alright?" Ron asked. 

Harry nodded his head slowly and turned to Ron. 

"What happened?" he asked, still puzzled on why he was on the floor. 

"Well… I guess the news of Dudley being in Gryffindor was too shocking for you. Are you _sure_ you're alright?" Hermione replied. 

Harry nodded again. He realized that the many students were looking at him, wondering what had happened. Seamus and Dean were one of those few who asked if he was all right. 

"He- He can't be in Gryffindor. He's… He just can't be…" Harry stuttered, finding that Professor Dumbledore was standing in front of him. He was wearing dark red robes and wore his wizard hat lop-sided. 

Professor Dumbledore was worried about Harry but seeing that it was the matter that Dudley being sorted into Gryffindor, he shook his head slowly, indicating that he couldn't do anything about it even if he wanted to. He then returned to his seat after asking Harry if he needed to be in the hospital wing, which Harry quickly refused for he had already attracted too much attention already. Ron and Hermione helped Harry back onto his seat. Harry looked down onto his plate. 

"Harry, it's gonna be alright. Here, have some steak to take your mind off things," Ron said, putting a piece of steak onto Harry's plate. 

Harry was so upset that he didn't realize that the Sorting Ceremony was over and that food had appeared in front of him. Harry pushed his plate away as he couldn't stomach anything. 

"Ron, could you stop thinking about food at a time like this? Harry, I'm sure that everything will be all right. He can't bully you like before," Hermione pointed out. 

"Yeah. If he tries anything funny, hit him with some spells. And since you are a prefect, you'll most likely be able to get away with it," Ron said in between chews. 

Harry stared at Ron for actually saying such things. Ron just shrugged when he saw Harry staring at him and continued to eat his dinner. 

"Harry, I'm so sorry. I forgot to mention this earlier but you're on duty today. You're suppose to show the Gryffindor first years to their dormitory," Hermione said, biting her lower lip. 

Harry sighed again. 

"First they had to come to Hogwarts, the only place where I am actually far away from them. Now, Dudley is enrolled into Hogwarts and on top of that, he ended up being sorted into _Gryffindor! And plus the fact I actually have to __escort him to his dorm. Things can't get worse than this," Harry groaned, burying his head in his hands. _

"Harry, Professor McGonagall wants to see you after the banquet!" said Seamus as if things were planned. 

"I take back what I said earlier. Things are getting worse and worse," said Harry, who was now banging his head on the table. 

"Stop that Harry. She just probably want to talk to you about the stuff that she always say to the 'Captain' before school starts," Ron said, now trying to stop Harry from banging his head. 

Seamus and Dean, who were the new beaters on the Gryffindor Quidditch team, quickly turned their heads to Harry. 

"You're the new Quidditch Captain? I mean you're our captain?" Seamus exclaimed, dropping his spoon onto the floor with a clang. 

"So much for it being a surprise," Harry mumbled, as he rested his head on the table. 

"That's great Harry! Boy, that cup will be as good as ours!" Dean said, waving the drumstick in his hand into the air. 

"Hey, now that you mention it, Harry and I were talking about a play that I thought the new captain could use before I realized that I was _actually _talking to the new captain. If you use that play, we would be unbeatable. Even you said it yourself," Ron said. 

Harry looked up with interest, no longer feeling blue. 

"You know what? We _will _be unbeatable," said Harry, as he banged the table with his fists. 

All four of them started talking and Harry, along with Ron, told them about the new moves that they, together with Bill and Charlie, created over the holidays. 

Hermione shook her head as she saw the drastic change in Harry's face. 

'_Leave it to Quidditch to make Harry feel better,'_ Hermione thought as she took a bite of the Kidney pie on her plate. 

She was lost in her thoughts when she heard Ginny calling her. 

"What?" asked Hermione, when she noticed Ginny calling. Lavender and Parvati too was staring at her. 

"What's wrong with you today Herm? I called you twice now and only after the third time you hear me. Are you okay?" Ginny asked, in concern. 

Hermione smiled at her. 

"Sorry. Oh, don't worry about me, Gin. I'm okay. I was just thinking how I was going to survive the year, you know, working with Draco. I don't think I'll make it through alive," Hermione sighed. 

"Oh, so that's what that has bothering you. Well Herm, I'm sure that it's gonna be fine. He'll come around and maybe you two will even learn to cooperate," Lavender said. Hermione couldn't help but notice her face changed in a way but it quickly returned as it was before. 

Hermione looked Lavender, who was sitting beside Parvati, in disbelief. 

"Are we talking about the same Malfoy? You know the one with silvery blond hair, blue-gray eyes, about this tall and not to mention, mean looking?" Hermione asked while doing all the hand gestures. 

Ginny, Lavender and Parvati giggled at the sight of her friend's reaction. 

"Oh, c'mon Herm. People can change. I know one that changed," said Parvati, leaving hints that she was actually talking about Hermione. 

"Well, not Malfoy. Only this morning on the way here did he manage to insult me again," Hermione protested. 

Ginny frowned. She saw that the boys were still nicely talking about Quidditch. 

"What I'm trying to say is that you should give him a chance or two. You'll be surprised," Ginny said while playing with the ice cream she had just scooped. 

Hermione started fiddling with her food too. 

"A bit too old to be playing with your food now, aren't we Granger?" a familiar voice came from behind them. 

Hermione quickly turned around and saw Malfoy behind her. 

"What do you want Malfoy? And where are your two sidekicks?" Hermione sneered. 

"They're enjoying themselves with dinner. I'm just here to tell you that Dumbledore is going to announce us as Head boy and Head girl. He told me to tell you that he wanted to speak with the both of us after dinner. He told us to meet him at the entrance," Malfoy said, crossing his arm across his chest. 

Hermione was surprised that Malfoy didn't even insult her but when Malfoy opened his mouth to say 'Mudblood', Hermione understood why. Lavender, Ginny and Parvati was giving him sharp looks, in so making Malfoy stopped. 

"Okay, I'll meet you there. Thanks," Hermione mumbled and turned around to face her plate. 

She heard Malfoy walking away. 

"What's going on with you guys and Malfoy?" Hermione asked suddenly after a while. 

All three of them was surprised but then quickly looked at her friend with a questioning look instead. 

"What- what do you mean? Nothing's going on between the two of us. I don't even like him!" Ginny replied hastily. 

She quickly turned her back to Hermione and started to eat her melted ice cream, obviously making sure that Hermione doesn't see her face. 

"Don't give me that. I saw that glare you gave him to stop making fun of me and he obeyed! Don't tell me that nothing's going on," Hermione pointed out, leaving her desserts astray. 

"You'll find out soon enough Herm, but not yet. It will be either from one us or from him but you'll find out about it one way or another," Ginny smiled, not bothered to finish her 'water cream'. Lavender and Parvati on the other hand, kept quiet. 

Hermione was about to protest but saw Professor Dumbledore standing up and clearing his throat. She knew that he was about to make an announcement as he waved his hands and all the food on all the golden plates and drinks in all the goblets disappeared. The hall was now silent and attentive to Professor Dumbledore. 

"Now, I would like to say a few things. First and foremost, we will be having a new Defense Against Dark Arts teacher although he had taught some of you before. Please welcome back, Professor Remus Lupin," announced Professor Dumbledore. 

The whole Great Hall burst into applause. Even a few Slytherin students were cheering (but they quickly stopped as they were receiving glares from the others who weren't). Professor Dumbledore then motioned his hands so that the hall would be silent once more. 

"Next, I would like to introduce to you, your new Head Girl and as well as your new Head Boy. The Head Girl for this year will be none other than Miss Hermione Granger," announced Professor Dumbledore, smiling and applauding himself. 

Applauses boomed again but this time, all the Gryffindors were clapping and whopping so hard that it drowned the cheers from the other tables. The Slytherins remained silent. 

"And your Head Boy this year will be none other than Mister Draco Malfoy," said Professor Dumbledore, also in a cheerful tone. 

Cheers filled the hall but not as loud as Hermione got. The Gryffindors were hardly clapping but the Slytherins were whopping and cheering loudly that they didn't need them too. Both Hermione and Draco stood up. The Gryffindors and Slytherins were the loudest to cheer, both competing with each other to be the loudest. Hermione smiled warmly while Draco's face showed no emotion what so ever. They both sat down again, after the applause began to die down. 

"Then there are the House Quidditch Captains. From Slytherin, Drake Roderick. Hufflepuff, Evince Hearting. Ravenclaw, Amber Trechrict. And finally, from Gryffindor, Harry Potter," Professor Dumbledore announced. 

This time, the cheering, applause and whooping were louder if compared to the applause for Hermione and Malfoy. All the four Quidditch Captains stood up as their name were announced. Harry glanced at the Dursleys' whose jaws dropped when they had heard Harry's name being announced as the Quidditch Captain. Harry was amused by their reaction that he felt that this was the best moment of his life. He knew they had no idea what Quidditch was but he being a captain at something was shocking enough for them. The cheering calmed down when the four captains were seated once again. 

"And now for some warnings. No student is to go outside the school compound alone. They will only be allowed outside if they are in a group of fours or more but not one person less. Lastly, please report to any prefect of any of the house if you were to notice anything unusual. Thank you. Now off to bed. Chop! Chop!" Professor Dumbledore announced. 

After he finished his announcement, students got up and started walking to their dormitories. From where Hermione was standing, she could hear Harry calling for the Gryffindor first years to follow him. The hall was now almost empty of people. She then made her way towards the Hall entrance and saw Malfoy already there. 

"Malfoy," Hermione said. 

Malfoy was leaning against one of the hall doors, his arms crossed on his chest and staring down at his boots. 

"Granger," he replied without glancing at her. 

They waited for Professor Dumbledore in silence. A few minutes later, he showed up. 

"Mister Malfoy, Miss Granger. As you know, the head boy and head girl will have their own room and study. I am here to show you where it is and to discuss a few small matters with the both of you. Please, follow me," Professor Dumbledore said as he led both of them towards a passageway that Hermione never noticed before. 

After minutes of walking, all three of them came to a stop in front of a portrait of a beautiful lady wearing a gold dress. She was in a sitting position, having a book in her hands to read and from details in her background, she was in a grand study room with a shelf filled with books behind her. She smiled warmly at them. 

"So what shall the password be?" asked Professor Dumbledore suddenly. 

Both Draco and Hermione were surprised at first for they didn't expect to be asked for a password because in all their years in Hogwarts they were only given passwords to use. 

"Quidditch!" "Unicorn!" they both said at the same time. 

Professor Dumbledore looked quite amused. He has been headmaster for many years and no doubt that this has happened many times before. Even if it did, it never failed to amuse him as he gave a small smile. 

"Well, you can only have one password, so which one shall it be?" he asked again. 

"Quidditch!" Draco exclaimed again. 

"Unicorn!" Hermione replied, just as loud. 

"Quidditch!" Draco says, staring at Hermione. 

"Unicorn!" Hermione says, who was also staring at Draco. 

"Quidditch! Quidditch! Quidditch!!!!" Draco shouted, his face now inches away from Hermione's. 

"Unicorn! Unicorn! Unicorn!!!!" shouted Hermione, her rage could be heard when she shouted. 

"All right. Calm down both of you. Very well, since you can't make up your minds, I shall choose the password for you myself. It shall be 'Honey'," Professor Dumbledore said. 

"Honey?" both of them repeated. 

The lady in the portrait nodded and the portrait swung, revealing an archway. 

All three of them entered the room, looking around in awe. Hermione admitted that being a head girl has its privileges. The study itself was amazing. It was a large, white room with purple drapes. Most of the books that Hermione saw in the bookcases would help her lots with her subjects. There were two grand study tables made from oak, facing each other near a window that looked over the Quidditch field. At one side of the room, where the fireplace was, stood two big comfy armchairs and a small, round, wooden table in between them. At the other side, were two identical grey doors and an old brown door near to where the portrait door that they came in from. 

"One room for each of you. There, you will find a door that will lead you to anywhere you want to go. All you have to do is state the place you want to go clearly and it will take you there as long as it is within the school grounds," Professor Dumbledore smiled, his hands held in front of him. 

Both Hermione and Draco nodded their head in agreement. Professor Dumbledore then motioned them to sit on the armchairs. They sat down on the armchairs, wondering what else did Professor Dumbledore have in his mind. He himself stood by the fireplace and took his wand from his robes and lighting a fire in the fireplace. And then he turned to them, his face no longer very cheerful but seriousness and worry displayed on it. 

"Well, as you know, we are in danger of attacks from Voldemort. He will do anything to get his revenge on Harry and three other people in this school. Since one of you know just about every hidden passageway that leads away from the school and back, while the other one of you is the mastermind at tricks, we need both of you to help the school to protect its students. Both of you about the smartest students in this school and you will know what to do in situations like this. You will need to do research and find out new ways to protect the school. This may seem like a joke to both of you but I assure you, this is the most important thing you have to do to save the lives of many people. Are you willing to help us?" Professor Dumbledore explained as Hermione could see that the light from the fireplace now highlighted his expressions. 

Hermione looked shock and turned to look at Draco. She was even more surprised when she saw that Draco seemed to think the same way she did. They looked at each other for a moment before Hermione gathered herself to ask him. 

"You mentioned that Harry and another three people are in danger of Voldemort planning revenge on them. Who are they exactly?" she managed to ask. 

"I am not sure who the forth one is but the second and the third one are very close to Harry. It's you and Ron, Hermione. He wants all four of you, including the unknown person, to be at his side. He will go to any extension to get you. Are you prepared to take this responsibility?" Professor Dumbledore replied calmly. 

Hermione nodded her head. After a moment of thinking, Hermione finally understood that there would be many risks and dangers in store for them. 

"What about you, Mister Malfoy?" said Professor Dumbledore as he turned to Draco. 

"Sure, whatever," Malfoy mumbled. 

"Good… Good… Now, I shall leave you to settle in. Your belongings have already been brought up for you. Miss Granger's on the right, Mister Malfoy's on the left. Good evening," Professor Dumbledore greeted them before leaving the room. 

When he finally did, Hermione let out a sigh. 

"Like Harry said, this is going to be one very interesting year," she mumbled. 

Beside her, she heard Malfoy snorted. 

"You and your Potter. I am surprised on why Voldemort would want you and that Weasel by on his side when he can have me, a pureblood instead you, who nothing but a 'Mudblood'. I am curious," sneered Malfoy, his eyes cold. 

Hermione was too tired to even argue. Anyway, she didn't feel that Malfoy was worth wasting her breath and energy for. 

"Say what you want, Malfoy 'cos I don't care. I'm too tired to care. I'm going to bed. Good night," Hermione said, getting up and made her way from the chair to her new room, leaving Malfoy sitting alone. 

Malfoy watches as Hermione slowly disappear out of his sight and a few moments later, heard the door of her room slam shut. Malfoy sighed alone and got up, following Hermione's suit to retire to his own room. He was just about to throw himself onto his bed when he remembered what Professor Dumbledore had said earlier about the door that could lead them to anywhere they want to as long as it is within the school ground. Smiling to himself, he made his way towards the door at one corner of the room and stared at it for a couple of second while glancing at the watch at one corner of the room. 12.20 p.m. Knowing most of the students had already gone to bed because of their exhaustion, he smiled to himself again. After a few minutes of doing nothing, he finally said, in a soft but clear voice:

"Gryffindor common room."

A/N: Muahahaha… Why is Malfoy going to the GRYFFINDOR common room instead of

Slytherin. Hmm… kinda like a cliffhanger, isn't it? Anyway, my thanks go out

to…

snow_wolf: thanks YI!!! Muah, I love you… for those of you who don't know her, she's 

my temporary beta reader until May next year… Thanks Yi! 

Faubert: thanks and it will be somethin' like that. Read and tell me what u think…

Kimbra: Next to snow_wolf, you're the best. I have my reason for putting him there. 

Both good and bad, which you will find out later in the storie. Thanks for

reading!!

…: You'll see later on why.

Something: My story, my choice. And don't worry, he's not gonna be popular. He'll be

far from it, I hope…

Whippy, JJ and vmr: thanks lodes for reading….


	8. Dudley’s five seconds of fame

A/N: Okay, I was quite disappointed when I only got 2 review the other day and decided to change my tactic from let-them-review-if-they-want-to tactic to threaten-them-so-if-they-don't-review, -leave-them-hangin' and this time I mean it. If I don't get at least 5 review, I am not gonna tell you what happen to Dudley when he gave Snape that dungbomb! That's a threat people and only my Beta reader (snow_wolf!!!) will get a chance to read it if you guys don't review. Less than 5 review, 2 weeks of hangin'. Don't worry, this time I'll stick to it 'cos school starts in 2 weeks and I still have lodes to do!! So remember… 5 reviews or leave you hangin' for 2 weeks… adios! 

A/N 2: My thanks go out to my beta reader, snow_wolf, my beloved partner!! And also to Kimbra who had reviewed a couple of times. I love you both!!! 

A/N 3: English is not my first language so if you see many mistake, you'll know it's true. 

A/N 4: Just because I use *Nsync lyric, doesn't mean I'm a fan. BSB RULZ!!! 

Disclaimer: I own nothin' 

*~*A Change of Mind*~* 

Chapter 8 

Dudley's five seconds of fame. 

Continues right after the start of school feast… 

"First years! First years, follow me!" Harry cried out. 

They got up from their seats and walked towards Harry. 

"Gosh, aren't you _Harry Potter_?" asked a girl, in awe. 

Harry let out a small laugh. 

"Yup. I'll be your prefect for today. If you have anything to ask or if you get lost during this first week of school, you can come to me or to any of the prefects. Ah, here comes one of the other prefects. First years, this is Ron Weasley, one of my best friends. Don't feel shy to ask him because he's a very good prefect," Harry said, smiling at the girl. 

Ron ears turn pink when Harry introduced him to them like that. Ron gave them a small wave. 

"Well, shall we now head to our dormitory?" Harry asked. 

All of them nodded and followed Harry, who was leading the way to the Gryffindor tower. 

"Harry, why don't we make fun of Dudley a bit. You know, so he won't get any ideas," Ron whispered while walking beside Harry. 

Harry looked at him and smiled. He then turned to see Dudley, who was staring at everything that moved by itself including the armours. 

"Yeah but do what?" he whispered his reply and stopped in front of the changing stairs. "Please keep in mind that though this route is the fastest way to the tower, the stairs likes to change. Be careful," Harry said, then he turned back to Ron. 

"How about we put a dungbomb in his pocket and say that it's candy or something?" Ron suggested, looking extremely mischievous. 

The staircase in front of them stopped changing. Some of the first years were looking in amazement at the moving pictures on the wall while some just chatted between them. Dudley however was quiet. Then Harry continued to lead the way. Ron who was beside him was holding on to the rail, just in case. 

"No… Not vile enough…." Harry said, still leading them to the tower. 

"How about we make him walk in his underpants around the school?" Ron replied, with a cunning smile on his face. 

"No… He'll cry like a baby…" Harry said, rolling his eyes. 

"How about-" Ron was being to feel more exited. 

However, Harry cut him off by the snap of his fingers. When Harry realised it attracted the first years' attention, he quickly told them that he did it out of habit. They resumed their talking and paid no attention to Harry or Ron. 

"We could trick him into giving a dungbomb to Snape on his first day of potions!" Harry exclaimed but only audible enough for Ron to hear. 

Ron smiled and said, "Perfect. But we must be careful. Snape might ask him where he got it or who put him up to it. We don't want to be getting detention any time soon, do we?" 

"Hmm… Good point," Harry said and gave a moment to think. Then, "Aha! We could say that Snape loves getting presents from his students especially dungbombs. Whoever gives him one, would be… his favourite student until he graduates from Hogwarts. Also that he'll love it even more when… he finds out that it was given by some first year. But the trick is, that first year student is not allowed to tell Snape who told him to do it or he'll be cursed…for eternity?" Harry suggested. 

Ron looked at his friend, with his left eyebrow raised. 

"That's stupid!" Ron muttered. 

"Yeah but so is Dudley. He'll believe anything!" Harry pointed out, smiling. 

"Good point. Let's tell him tonight, after the other first years have gone up to their rooms," Ron replied, extremely impatient that he ran in front of Harry. 

Harry shook his head in agreement. Before they knew it, they were all standing in front of the portrait of the fat lady. Harry turned to face the first years. Ron was nicely leaning against the wall beside the portrait. Harry waited until all the first years have gathered in front of him. The first years were now silent and attentive to Harry's every single word. 

"Okay, to enter the common room, you have to give the password to the fat lady. This week, the password is 'Golden Snitch'," Harry said loudly. 

The Fat Lady nodded her head, swung herself to reveal the entrance to the common room. Harry and Ron could hear the 'gasp's from the first years. After showing them around the common room, Harry and Ron sat themselves down on two of the chairs there, side by side. The fire in the fireplace was nicely burning, thanks to the house elves. Almost all the girls turned in for the night, chattering excitedly about how the lessons were going to be like. All the boys, including Dudley, who was curious about what they were going to talk about, sat down around Harry and Ron. There was a girl there though. Some sat in the armchairs there while the ones who couldn't, made themselves as comfortable on the floor. Soon they began asking Harry a million and one questions instead. 

"Harry! Is it true that you are the youngest player that Hogwarts had ever seen in a century?" asked a blonde haired boy. 

"Harry, do you have a girlfriend?" squeaked a small sized boy. 

"Harry, how can I get into the Quidditch team?" asked a thin, tall boy. 

"Harry, show us your scar!" exclaimed a freckled faced boy. 

"Ron, is it hard being prefect?" asked the girl timidly. 

All the other boys turned to look at the girl when they heard her question. Harry was just stunned and Ron was blushing until his face was as red as his hair. The girl blushed too and quickly muttered that she was tired, to avoid the stares. Harry then turned to Ron when he saw that Ron was blushing. There was a pause before both of them suddenly burst out laughing. All the first year boys looked at them, wondering if both of them have gone mad. 

"I'm sorry. It's just that…" Harry said, laughing hard. " …That you all are very funny. I'm just another human and you're treating me as if I'm a star or something," Harry choked between laughs. 

"But you are!" said another boy who had dark hair. 

"He is not! I should know because I live with him!" Dudley said from behind. 

Both Harry and Ron stopped laughing at once and all eyes turned to Dudley. Dudley suddenly felt frightened at all the glares he was receiving. 

"What do you mean he lives with you? You don't look a thing like him!" exclaimed a boy that Harry knew as Thomas. 

Thomas actually stood up for Harry. Harry smiled at him. When Thomas saw this, he knew that Harry didn't feel threaten so he didn't make any other remarks. 

"Actually, he's right. I do live with him. He's my cousin and we are of the same age. He just came here to Hogwarts because Professor Dumbledore thinks that he is in danger from Vold… I mean You-know-who. And because he is a down right muggle and doesn't know how to even hold a wand properly, he has to start at the very beginning, in first year. Isn't that correct, Dudley?" Harry explained calmly, his eyes closed, leaned back with his hands placed behind his head. 

Dudley quickly turned scarlet and mumbled something that sounded like 'He's right'. Harry smiled to himself when he heard Dudley say that. 

"Really? You must at least know some magic. Harry _is_ after all a great wizard. He's the third best student in Hogwarts, aren't you Harry?" another boy asked. "Surely you learnt some magic from him." 

"Yeah! Show us some magic that Harry thought you!" cried another boy. 

All the first year boys were now looking at Dudley. By then, Seamus, Dean, Neville and Josh, a 6th year student who were rather close with Dean and Seamus, were standing around Harry too. Harry and Ron, on the other hand, were trying very hard not to laugh. It was so great that they couldn't have planned it any better themselves. Dudley panicked. 

"C'mon Dudley. I know Harry will teach you something if you were nice enough to him or asked him nicely," Dean smirked. 

He knew very well that Dudley was so mean to Harry during his summer holidays and could see where this was leading. 

"But I-" Dudley stuttered. 

"You don't have a wand? Here, use mine. It's no trouble," Ron said, handing his own wand from his robes. 

Dudley took the wand with his right hand shaking furiously and held it for a good one minute. 

Finally, he said…"Abra Kedabra! Hocus Pocus!" waving Ron's wand in his wand over his head with his eyes shut. 

When a spell is not said properly, something wrong was bound to turn up instead. In this case, it did. As soon as Dudley finished saying the 'spell', some red sparks went flying out of Ron's wand and surrounded him. Suddenly, Dudley started to make funny noises and his nose was turned into a pig's nose. The whole common room burst into laughter. Dudley immediately threw Ron's wand onto the floor but that didn't help much. Harry and Ron, who were laughing the hardest, had to grab hold of each other so that they won't fall off from their armchairs, rolling on the floor and laughing their heads off. After a good whole 10 minutes of laughing, they finally stopped. Ron took back his wand from the floor, still shaking from laughter. 

"Oh I'm sorry. I forgot to mention that every time I go to their house for the school holidays, they lock up my wand and school books in the cupboard under the stairs so that I couldn't do any magic or my homework. It must have slipped my mind. His family despised me because I was a wizard. He can't perform a single spell! He has never even touched a wand before!" Harry smiled slyly, as he was now getting his revenge. 

All first year boys were shocked at this and each made a mantle note as not to be friends with this Dudley fellow. Some of the boys actually looked at Dudley in disgust. After performing the counter curse, Harry shooed them to bed but kept Dudley behind. The other four seniors went to bed without waiting for Ron and Harry. Now was the time to put their plan to action. 

"Dudley, I wanna make peace. I have some tips for you on how to make you a favourite to one of the most feared teacher in the whole staff. He is the Potions Master and Head of Slytherin, Professor Snape. Here, take this. This is a very special… paperweight that he loves very much to own. First, light it up here and then, quickly give it to him. He'll love you for sure," Harry said to him while giving Dudley a few Dungbombs that Ron bought a few days ago from his brothers, Fred and George. 

Dudley looked at Harry and at the 'present' suspiciously. All the while Ron was trying his very best to keep his face straight. 

"Why should I trust you? You tricked me a few minutes ago," Dudley asked. 

"Because I wanna start being nice to you," Harry answered, putting on his best fake smile. 

After a few minutes, Dudley took the dungbombs and walked towards the first years' dorm room. 

"And remember, when Snape asks you who told you about doing this, never tell him or you'll be cursed for eternity!" Harry called out. 

Dudley nodded his head and after a few steps was out of sight. Then both Harry and Ron burst out laughing again, unable to keep it in any longer. 

"I can't believe he actually fell for that!" Ron exclaimed, laughing until tears were in his eyes. 

Harry was laughing too hard to answer him. Finally, he managed to control himself, though he stifled a few. 

"I would pay big money to see the look of Snape's face when that thing goes off in the dungeons tomorrow. I know they're having potions first thing tomorrow morning! Oh damn! I forgot! I was supposed to meet Professor McGonagall! See you later Ron!" Harry said while rushing out of the Gryffindor common room. 

Ron was just about to retire when he saw Ginny, who was wearing a white night gown, walking from her dorm room and sitting on one of the armchairs near the fireplace. 

"Gin? Aren't you going to bed? It's getting late," asked Ron, brotherly. 

Ginny looked up and smiled. 

"No… I'll sleep in a few minutes. You go on ahead," was her reply. 

"Okay… Good Night," wished Ron, yawning and stretching himself, making his way to his dorm room. 

"Good Night," Ginny replied. 

She just kept staring into the fire burning gracefully in the fireplace. (A/N: Kimbra, you were right! It was Ginny. I was gonna keep it a secret but you found out about her so I decided to change the story line a bit. You'll find out later what it is!) She was now alone in the common room. When she heard a familiar "Hey!" she turned around and smiled. Draco looked at her with a rare look that so far, only Ginny had the chance to see it. 

"Hey yourself," she teased when Draco pulled her into a hug. 

Hermione's P.O.V. 

Hermione looked around her new room and smiled to herself. The room was great! It has a queen-sized bed in the middle of the room with red covers. At one corner of the room were a dresser and a cupboard for her clothes. Then there was the enchanted door Dumbledore informed them about and another door that Hermione was sure was the bathroom. She noticed her stuff had already been brought up to her room and thanked silently to the house elves for bringing it up for her. 

Hermione sighed and laid on her back on the bed. She didn't know what to do. She really wished that Ron and Harry were here but she knew that usually on the first day of school, they would have went straight to bed right after the feast. She didn't want to bother them so she kept staring at the ceiling. She longed to read some of the books that she had seen earlier that was placed in the shelves but that meant she had to actually get out of the bed and walked there. She really didn't feel like doing it. So she took out her wand, placed it on her bed and started to look through the collections of CD that she had brought along with her. 

"Linkin' Park? Too loud. Westlife? Maybe later. Usher? Nah… *Nsync? Okay," Hermione mumbles to herself as she took out the CD from the cover. Then, she took her wand and uttered something softly so that Draco couldn't hear her from his room or even outside her door. Orange sparks came out from her wand as she pointed her wand to her selected CD. The sparks actually picked the CD up and was floating in mid-air. With another flick of her wand, music began to fill the room. 

When winter comes in summer 

When there's no more forever 

That's when I'll stop loving you 

I sure you heard this words before 

And I know it's hard for you to trust them once more 

Your afraid it all might end 

And a broken heart 

Is scared of breaking again 

But you've gotta believe me 

I'll never leave you 

You'll never cry 

Long as I am there 

And I will always be there 

You will never be without love 

When winter comes in summer 

When there's no more forever 

When lies become the truth 

Oh you know them baby 

That's when I'll stop loving you 

That's when I'll stop loving you 

As the song continued to play in the background, Hermione slowly fell asleep without noticing that her door was slightly ajar. 

Draco's P.O.V. 

Draco shut the enchanted door that he used just a moment ago. He was now in his room. He had to run out of the Gryffindor common room when he heard the 'all too familiar' voice of Potter who was back from his 'little' meeting with Professor McGonagall. He wouldn't be caught dead there. He was there to see Ginny, which made it all worse if her brother found out about it. Looking around the room, his eyes landed on a muggle photo he had taken with somebody. It really brought back some awful memories of her. He knew that girl. Heck, he was in love with her. The only problem was, she was a muggle. He had met her during one of his trips with his father to Egypt last year and when he met her for the first time, it was love at first sight. She felt the same way too and soon, they were dating. His father didn't know about Danielle until one day when both of them bumped into him in the market place when they were on a date. 

Well, you've guessed it. Lucius wasn't too happy when he found out that Danielle didn't have a single drop of witch blood in her. So, in order for Draco to remember that he was not to love anyone ever again, especially a Mudblood, he did something that made Draco hate him forever. Lucius killed the only girl that made Draco see the real world. The world without pain and suffering but a wonderful world of happiness. Until this moment, Draco was too scared to love anyone. Scared that they too will suffer the same fate as Danielle. 

Snapping back into reality, Draco noticed something that Professor Dumbledore had given to him in the train. He gave him a few notes they were suppose to do before tomorrow night and was to be handed back to Professor Dumbledore. After cursing himself for forgetting to give it to her, he grabbed the papers and headed to Hermione's room. 

When he was standing in front of her room, he heard somebody singing softly to Hermione without knowing that it was actually a CD. He smirked and stood with his ears against the door, listening to the singing. 

'Cos I will always be there 

You will always have all my love 

When winter comes in summer 

When there's no more forever 

When lies become the truth 

Oh you know then baby 

That's when I'll stop loving you 

That's when I'll stop loving you 

When this world doesn't turn anymore 

When the stars all decide to stop shining 

'Till then I 

Gonna be by your side 

I gonna be loving you forever 

Every day of my life 

Draco stared at the door for a few moments. He wasn't sure what to make of that song. It was exactly how he felt when he was 'dating' Danielle. 

_'Does she knows?'_ Draco asked himself. 

He knocked on the door softly and waited for Hermione to answer the door. When she didn't, he pushed it open and entered the room. 

There, he saw Hermione lying on the bed, sleeping peacefully. Beside her in mid air, still playing, was the CD. Draco wondered how the five people singing could be fitted into one CD. Then, his eyes landed back on the sleeping Hermione. Draco looked at her and smiled to himself. After a few minutesof staring, Hermione stirred and opened her eyes. She quickly sat up, flicking her wand at the CD so that it floated onto her bed. 

"Malfoy! What are you doing here?" she exclaimed as soon as she saw him. 

Draco smirked to her. He handed her the papers and said "Dumbledore gave this to me to pass to you. I forgot about it until just now. He wants this back tomorrow night." 

Then, he walked out of the room but paused for a moment. 

"Good night, Hermione," he wished ever so nicely. 

Then he exited the room. Hermione looked at the door, which he had just walked through. 

"Did he just called me Hermione?" she shocked at what he had just called her. 


	9. First day

A/N: Hello ppl… I am SO SORRY I didn't updated this story earlier. I wanted to post this chapter earlier but I had an asthma attack! Okay, some notice. If I updated this thing late, that means I have lodes of work. My beta readers and I are in our final year so that means we have to do lodes of stuff. Okay, I'm crapping. On with the story… BTW, more A/N at the bottom.  
  
Dudley goes to Hogwarts.  
  
Chapter 9  
  
First day  
  
Morning came as usual at Hogwarts. Dudley shared his dorm room with four other students. None of them were a pure muggle like him. They were related to the wizardry world one way or another. No one spoke to him, as they knew he was a total outcast. An oddball. Who had no respect or gratitude for the great Harry Potter, the boy who lived. Nobody bothered to wake him, either. Fortunately for him, he got up with all the noise of his roommates excitement. They took no notice of him, but continued with their chattering.  
  
Dudley washed up, still dressed in his normal clothes. He still didn't have his school robes yet. Somehow he felt worried if he were to wear his normal muggle clothes and walk to classes, receiving stares and puzzled looks from the other students. He felt so alone for the first time. So worried and unable to boss people around, as he knew they would only attack him or defend themselves with magic. But then he found a package on the other side of his bed. He sat down to unwrap it and found that Professor Dumbledore had somehow gotten all that he needed, except for his robes and wand.  
  
Dudley sighed for he knew that he had to be walking around the school ground without a wand and walking around the school grounds wearing muggle clothes. Seeing that he couldn't do anything or knew anything, he decided to make his way to the hall when he overheard some of his roommates saying that breakfast was served there. He immediately jumped to his feet and scurried off for breakfast. As he had forgotten the way there, he actually followed his roommates without them noticing.  
  
Dudley looked around the Great Hall for any sign of his so-called cousin. When he didn't see him or any of Harry's friends from last night, he sat himself down right at the end of the table. Grabbing a piece of toast, he began to smear it with butter. His eyes wandered up to staff table where he hoped to find his parents so that he could whine to his mother about what had happened last night. But they too were nowhere to be found.  
  
"Mister Dursley. You are to see Professor Dumbledore during any of your free periods to get your robes and wand. Here is your timetable for this year. Please note that your first class will be starting in 10 minutes time. I suggest that you hurry," Professor McGonagall said as she handed Dudley a piece of parchment then walked away to pass out other timetables.  
  
Dudley looked at the timetable and smiled to himself.  
  
'Potions first,' he thought to himself.  
  
His left hand absentmindedly brushed against the paperweight in his pocket. Harry had given to him the night before, saying that when given the paperweight, the Potions Master will favour him throughout his time in Hogwarts. Stuffing the last of his toast into his mouth, he gobbled down some pumpkin juice and glanced at his wristwatch. He smiled to himself when he noticed that he was only a couple of minutes late for Potions. Grabbing the books he had gotten from the dormitory, he walked casually down to the dungeon where the timetable stated that Potions class was to take place. He saw that the class was filled with Gryffindors and Slytherins of the first year.  
  
When he had finally arrived, the class was already beginning. Straightening his robes, he pushed the dungeon's door open with one hand and entered. All eyes were looking straight at him and he found himself petrified at the entrance.  
  
"You are late, Mister Dursley," Professor Snape said, as cold as ever.  
  
Dudley gulped. He now felt extremely nervous and scared.  
  
"I-I'm so-sorry Professor. I got l-lost," Dudley stammered while trembling from head to foot.  
  
"Getting lost is not an excuse. You should have gotten here with the rest of your housemates if you are not familiar with the school ground. 10 points from Gryffindor!" Professor Snape snapped then turned his back on Dudley and walked towards the front of the class.  
  
Dudley's hand brushed the dungbomb again and after gathering enough courage, he approached the nasty looking Professor. He took out the dungbomb and lit it with a lighter he had stolen from his dad behind his back. Then, he walked over to Snape's desk with the lighted dungbomb behind his back in his hands.  
  
"Professor… I have something for you to make up for the mistake that I have made today," Dudley smiled his best smile that he could manage.  
  
Professor Snape, who was looking at some notes he had brought along, looked up and glared at Dudley.  
  
"Giving me gifts won't change my mind about the points I have taken, Mister Dursley," Professor Snape retorted.  
  
Professor Snape sat down at his desk, still looking for what he was looking for in his drawers. He had just opened the second drawer when he was holding a bottle of what looks like livers, very small looking livers. He then leaned backwards to his chair and looked coldly at Dudley. Dudley's heart skipped a beat but he managed to keep the smile on his face.  
  
"I know, Professor. I just want to give it to you anyway," Dudley said, a slight quiver in his voice.  
  
Dudley took the dungbomb he had lighted earlier and placed it on the table, in front Professor. Professor Snape, being used to receiving "presents" from students, immediately stood up and starts yelling at Dudley.  
  
"What do you think you are doing here? That is a dungbomb!" Professor Snape yelled at Dudley.  
  
Before he could do anything, the dungbomb exploded right at his face, causing a panic. Professor Snape dropped the bottle and there was some reaction with the contents inside the bottle and the dungbomb because soon the room was beginning to be filled with purple, stinky smoke. All the other students ran screaming out the dungeon with Professor Snape right behind them. Professor Snape was holding Dudley by the collar. One of the students quickly closed the doors behind them so that the stench wouldn't spread to the corridors.  
  
"You fool! That was a dungbomb! Don't you know that?!" Snape yelled at Dudley who now looked as if he was ready to pass out in a matter of seconds.  
  
"I-I kn-know, Pro-Professor," Dudley stammered again, this time worse than before.  
  
"Then why did you give it to me? Don't you know what the punishment will be? Who put you up to this?!" Dudley was about to say Harry's name when he remembered the warning Harry had given to him the night before about the curse.  
  
"No one, Sir," was his only reply.  
  
"You better tell me or you will serve a punishment for this!!" Professor Snape roared.  
  
"No one Professor," Dudley repeated, looking straight into his eyes.  
  
"Another 50 points from Gryffindor! And detention for 2 weeks!!" Professor Snape exclaimed loudly before Argus Filch came running down the corridor. Filch has a way of getting places where he is needed. No one knows how he does it, but it can be awfully terrible to be caught by him when you happened to be breaking some school rule.  
  
"What happened?" he asked Professor Snape who had turned red with anger.  
  
"This stupid student set off a dungbomb!" Professor Snape said through his gritted teeth, obviously trying very hard to control his anger.  
  
Filch looked almost startled and looked at Dudley. Dudley was shaking from head to toe, still wondering if he had done something wrong. Some of the students were busy discussing on what punishment this Dudley fellow would be getting while there were a handful who were giving Dudley the thumbs up for his bravery for they would never have pulled a better one on Professor Snape even if they wanted to. One or two of the students were near the door, once in a while checking if the stench was still there or not.  
  
"He doesn't know who you are, does he?" Filch smirked.  
  
"Clearly he doesn't! Class dismissed! Go back to your common room until your next class! As for you, Mister Dursley, come back down here right after dinner for your detention!" Professor Snape said to Dudley and went back into his dungeon to see what was damaged with Filch.  
  
The Slytherins smirked and laughed at Dudley before they went back to their common room which wasn't far from where they were while the Gryffindors were looking at Dudley with so much hate that if looks could kill, Dudley would be six feet under instantly, stabbed by millions of daggers on his fat, rounded body.  
  
"Why did you go and do that for! Now we will surely lose the House Cup! Just because you decided to play a prank on the Potions Master!!" said Frank angrily, a boy with a dirty blond hair who had slept in the bed next to Dudley's last night.  
  
"Yeah! To top it off, Harry's going to have a major pressure to win the Quidditch cup to get the Gryffindors to win the House Cup! It's his last year, for heaven's sake! You always like to make things rough for him, don't you?" said Randall, another Gryffindor.  
  
"I didn't think-" started Dudley, trying very hard to defend himself.  
  
"Yeah, you didn't think, all right! Now look what happened! It's all, your fault! C'mon guys, let's go before Snape decides to take more points," Frank mumbled and started heading towards the Gryffindor Common Room.  
  
The rest of them followed suit, some shaking their head at Dudley's big mistake. Dudley just looked at them, not knowing what to do. Soon, he was the only one left behind in the corridors.  
  
  
  
"Harry! Ron! Where have you been? You missed half of the Care of Magical Creatures class!" Hermione exclaimed as she saw the two boys walking towards her with huge grins on their faces.  
  
Hermione was standing outside Hagrid's hut, standing beside something that looked like cats out of the dryer, with its fur fluffed out. Extremely fluffed.  
  
"Just had to do a couple of things. Right Ron?" Harry nudged Ron.  
  
"Yeah. So, what'd we miss?" Ron asked, walking over to the funny looking animal.  
  
"It's a Pleepunk, a distant relative of the dragons. Very distant. You see, the dragons are violent while a Pleepunk is harmless. Look at its fur! Lavender and Parvati have been begging Hagrid to give one to them as a pet but I don't think Hagrid would give it to them," Hermione explained with a smile and pointed towards Parvati and Lavender.  
  
Both of them had a Pleepunk each and were talking to Hagrid about something that they couldn't quite hear but Hagrid kept waving his massive hands in front of him.  
  
Hagrid's eyes soon caught Harry's and he immediately walked over towards them. Lavender and Parvati soon got the message and sadly placed the cuddly Pleepunks with the others. The Pleepunk suddenly started humming softly together, jumping up and down with the fur perfectly moving in the wind. Lavender and Parvati then walked back into the castle, preparing for the next class. Soon, it was just Hagrid, Harry, Ron and Hermione all alone there.  
  
"So Harry, how's that project of yours coming along?" Hagrid asked with a wink.  
  
Harry and Ron looked at each other and then burst into laughter.  
  
"You should've seen Dudley's face when Snape gave him detention! He was trembling from head to toe as if there was an earthquake at where he was standing!" Harry choked between laughs.  
  
"That's nothing compare to how Snape looked like! I thought he couldn't look more gruesome if he tried!" Ron said.  
  
Soon, both boys were gasping for air. Hagrid let out a chuckle but Hermione looked extremely confused.  
  
"What are they talking about, Hagrid?" she asked anxiously.  
  
"They didn't tell yeh?" Hagrid asked.  
  
Hermione shook her head.  
  
"Well, last night, Harry and Ron-" started Hermione.  
  
"Don't tell her just yet, Hagrid. I think it'll be more fun if we showed it to her," Harry said, cutting Hagrid off.  
  
"Show me what?" asked Hermione, her curiosity was obviously getting the best of her.  
  
"Tonight, after dinner, meet us back at the Common Room. I don't know if you'd like it but I know the rest of the 7th year Gryffindors would wanna see it," Ron said, smiling away.  
  
Hermione was puzzled and didn't know what to expect but nodded her head anyway.  
  
"Okay. Now that we've got that settled down, both of yeh need to pay more attention in class. Both of yeh missed a good deal of work while yeh all were gone," Hagrid said.  
  
He then walked over and grabbed a yellow Pleepunk, which was nicely bouncing on Hagrid big palm.  
  
  
  
"Granger!" Hermione turned around and saw Draco running towards her.  
  
Hermione slowed down and told Harry and Ron to go on ahead without her and that she'll meet them later for lunch at the hall.  
  
"See ya Herm. Don't be too long!" Harry said as they leave Hermione behind.  
  
Draco soon caught up with her, his bag swinging from his right shoulder.  
  
"What is it?" asked Hermione coldly for she didn't approve Draco calling her by her last name.  
  
"Dumbledore wants to see us right now. He needs to talk to us about the thing he was saying last night," Draco explained.  
  
Hermione nodded and followed Draco towards Professor Dumbledore's office.  
  
"Chocolate covered cherries," Draco mumbled and the gargoyle jumped aside.  
  
They soon found themselves in front of Professor Dumbledore's office. Draco, without glancing at Hermione, knocked on the door.  
  
"Come it," Dumbledore's cheery voice called out.  
  
Draco pushed the door open and he let Hermione walked through before himself and closed the door behind him. They could see that Dudley was there, Madam Malkin preparing his robes while Mr. Ollivander was finding the right wand for him. Professor Dumbledore was standing nearby with a cup of cocoa in his hands. Hermione could see that Professor Dumbledore was happily adding marshmallows into his cocoa.  
  
"Ah… Mister Malfoy and Miss Granger. This won't take very long. Please, do take a seat," Dumbledore gestured at them.  
  
Hermione nodded and sat on one of the chairs opposite Dumbledore and Draco sat beside her.  
  
"Hmm… how about 11 and 3 quarters with oak and claw of dragon?" asked Mr. Ollivander, handing Dudley the wand.  
  
The moment Dudley held the wand sparks of green and white came from the wand and formed a pattern. No one could identify what it was as the image was blurred and fast. Dudley quickly gave the wand to Mr. Ollivander, he didn't want his nose to turn to a snout again. Hermione could see that even Mr. Ollivander was taken aback while Professor Dumbledore was looking curiously at the image, placing his cup on the table.  
  
"I think that we have found an owner for this 156 year old wand. Or should I say it has found its owner?" said Mr. Ollivander.  
  
"Here you are dearie. Your robes," said Madam Malkin, handing Dudley a nicely wrapped brown package.  
  
Mr. Ollivander placed Dudley's wand in its case and gave it to Dudley.  
  
"I won't take long," said Professor Dumbledore suddenly to Hermione and Draco.  
  
Professor Dumbledore then showed Mr. Ollivander, Madam Malkin and lastly Dudley to the door.  
  
Draco was nicely looking at the portraits in the office while Hermione was looking at all the books on the shelf. Professor Dumbledore soon was in the room with them, taking his seat behind his desk.  
  
"Now, I called both of you here so that I could explain about the Prophecy," said Professor Dumbledore, putting away his cup of cocoa.  
  
"What prophecy?" Hermione asked.  
  
"I might have forgotten to mention that last night. There is this one Prophecy about the four teens that can defeat Voldemort. But we are unsure who they are. We haven't been able to detect any of them quite yet except for Mister Potter. He's one of the four," Professor Dumbledore explained.  
  
"How do we identify any of these three other people?" Draco asked his arms folded in front of his chest.  
  
"Good question. Unfortunately it is to remain without an answer. What we know is very little. Now, this is where you two are needed. I need you two to find out all you can about this Prophecy. It might be right under our noses if we look hard enough. I take it you two have no problems with this?" Professor Dumbledore continued.  
  
"No. I'm sure we'll find something. Won't we, Malfoy?" Hermione asked, glancing over at him.  
  
Draco just nodded.  
  
"Excellent! Now, I'm sure that both of you are hungry so I'll let you go for your lunch. Thank you very much for your time," Professor Dumbledore said, getting up along with Hermione and Draco.  
  
"Thank you, Sir," Hermione said as she exited the room with Draco behind her.  
  
Both of them walked towards the Great Hall in silence.  
  
"Malfoy, do you think that-" Hermione was trying to make conversation when Pansy's voice interrupted her.  
  
"Draco! Draco honey, where were you? I was worried sick!" she exclaimed as she threw her arms around Draco's neck.  
  
"Pansy, get off me!" Draco yelled, pushing her arm away from his neck.  
  
"Aw… honey, you don't have to be shy in front of the Mudblood. It's not like she has any idea what we're doing anyway," Pansy smiled.  
  
Hermione shook her head in disgust and walked ahead, leaving Draco behind. The sight of those two could make anyone sick. She continued to walk towards the Great Hall, which was not very far away. When she got there, she looked for Ron and Harry.  
  
"Herm! Over here!" Harry called out, waving his arm above his head.  
  
Hermione waved back and joined Harry, Ron, Seamus, Dean, Neville, Ginny, Lavender and Parvati at the table.  
  
"What kept you?" Ron asked, piling his plates with some more mash potatoes.  
  
"Dumbledore wanted a word with me and Malfoy. Nothing important," she lied quickly. "So, what were you guys talking about before?" Hermione smiled.  
  
She poured some pumpkin juice into her glass before taking a sip from it.  
  
"We were wondering when we should be doing Quidditch tryouts. Dean said it should be as soon as possible," Harry said.  
  
"Yeah. The season will be starting soon and we do need a well trained keeper," Dean said.  
  
"I agree. The faster we find one, the faster you'll be able to train together," Hermione agreed.  
  
"Okay then. How about tomorrow afternoon, after classes?" suggested Ron, who was now pouring lots of gravy on his mashed potato.  
  
"I think that'll be enough time. But you'll need to put up a notice though," Neville pointed out suddenly, who was sitting beside Dean.  
  
"Consider it done!" Hermione exclaimed.  
  
She mumbled something under her breath and a beautifully decorated red and gold colour paper appeared on the table. Harry picked it up and read it.  
  
"Wow! Where'd you learn to do that?" Harry asked; looking at the notice that Hermione just conjured up.  
  
"I read it in this book. It teaches you how to make stuff like fancy notices and cards. It's pretty useful if you've forgotten to buy anyone a birthday card or something," Hermione said, now putting a piece of chicken onto her plate.  
  
"I'll put this up later on the board. Thanks Hermione," said Harry, while passing the notice for the other to see.  
  
"No big thing," she replied.  
  
They kept eating and talking about everything they could think of, from Quidditch to flobberworms. Dean even offered to teach them how to play Soccer (or football. Some of you call it that. Like me!) but Harry was the only one who seemed interested. Finally, 10 minutes before the next class started, they went their separate ways, Harry and Ron to Divination while Hermione to Arithmancy. After saying their goodbye, they left each other for their own class.  
  
My thanks to:  
  
Spair Llewillah/Moonstone: Thank you so much! I love you!!! I read your story before but never did get to review it. Sorry. I will review it as soon as the next chapter is up!  
  
Kimbra: My favourite reader! My thanks to you for reading the story!  
  
chirstina wilborn: you will see that soon!  
  
keja Wilson: now you know  
  
Emma lOu: Here you go!  
  
Shauna: Thank you SO much for the suggestion for the story.  
  
Amy: I am sorry but it seems as if you've fallen into my trap!  
  
Cassie: Soon to be written!  
  
YSL: Good to have last year senior read this story!  
  
Snow_wolf: MY beta reader. Too bad Miss Hameeda had to put you at the other side of the class!  
  
Oh yeah, I have one more beta reader. Her nick is Wolfsun. Go read her story. I promise you won't be disappointed! 


	10. Harry’s Secret Crush

Chapter 10

Harry's Secret Crush

Disclaimer: Nothing that you recognize is mine!

A/N: My English is terrible so please, bare with me. 

For the first time in the history of her life, Hermione was actually not paying attention in class. She was studying Arithmancy, with the teacher nicely talking in front, and her mind was wandering off somewhere while her hand was busy playing with her quill. She had a lot on her mind and none of them were easy to sort out. Things just kept getting more and more complicated and on top of it all, it was only the first day of school. Her mind recalled the incident that had just happened a few minutes earlier.

~*Flashback*~

"Miss Granger, could I see you for a moment?" Professor McGonagall called her before she could enter her Arithmancy class. 

Hermione nodded, told her teacher that she'll be out for a moment and walked towards Professor McGonagall, closing the doors behind her.

_ "Yes Professor?" she asked, her curiosity was well hidden. _

_ "I don't have much time since class is about to start so I'll just get straight to the point. I need you to tutor Mister Dursley for the time being. None of the teachers seem to be able to do it since we are all busy putting up necessary precautions for the safety of the students. Since you are the top student in this school, I feel that it is only right for you to help him. Besides, you could take it as a revision," Professor McGonagall explained. _

_ "I'm sorry professor but can't you get someone else to do it? How about the second or even the third in the school?" Hermione said, pleadingly. _

"The best after you is Mister Malfoy but I don't think he will teach Mister Dursley much. You know how he is." Hermione nodded slowly. "And the third is Mister Potter. I can't ask him to do it since he will be busy with Quidditch practice. And besides, I don't think he would agree to do it. Please, Hermione. This is only temporary. At least until the protections are up," Professor McGonagall said.

Hermione wanted to refuse but the look in the Professor's eyes… She just couldn't do it. She slowly nodded her head. Professor McGonagall gave her a warm smile.

~*End of Flashback*~

"Daydreaming eh, Granger?"

The voice of Malfoy snapped her back into reality. Hermione turned, only to find an uninvited guest sitting beside her.

"What do you want Malfoy?" she asked him coldly, her voice barely a whisper but annoyance could be heard clearly from it.

Malfoy raised an eyebrow at her, then he smirked.

"Don't tell me you weren't listening to what Professor Vector (Is that right? Who exactly is the Arithmancy teacher anyway?) was saying just now," he asked.

"Well, it might have slipped my mind. What does that have to do with everything anyway?" Hermione snapped, blushing a little.

"If you weren't daydreaming about Potty just now, you might have heard that he was paring us up for our next assignment," Malfoy said.

"First of all, Malfoy, I wasn't daydreaming about Harry. And second of all, for someone who's the second smartest in the school, you sure are dumb. It's Potter, not Potty. Think you can handle that much information in one go?" Hermione said, this time, she was smirking.

Malfoy's smirk quickly vanished and his eyes darkened.

"Watch it Mudblood or you may be sorry the next time you say such things to me," he said dangerously.

Hermione rolled her eyes and turned her attention back to the front of the class to where the Professor was informing them about the assignment they were supposed to do together.

~*~

"Ron, have you seen Hermione at all today?" Harry asked as he sat down beside Ron.

They had just finished their Quidditch training and were about to sit down for dinner when he noticed that Hermione wasn't there to greet them as usual. Ron looked around the Great Hall, trying to spot her.

"Now that you've mentioned it, I haven't seen her since our last class. I wonder… wait. I think I know where she is. Usually, when she's missing like this, where do we _always_ find her?" Ron asked, now piling food onto his plate.

"Of course! The _library_!" Harry exclaimed. 

"Exactly. Now, and usually, when she is in the library and it's time for dinner, she's always…" Ron trailed off. 

"Late," Harry automatically replied. 

"Exactly. So, I don't think we should worry about her. In fact, I think she'll be here just about… Now!" Harry turned around, only to find Hermione walking into the Great Hall with a stack of books in her arms and her bag dangling at her side. 

Harry laughed. 

"Man, you've got E.S.P.!" Harry exclaimed. 

"What's esp?" Ron gave him a blur look and Harry grinned. 

"Never mind." Just then, Hermione took a seat across from Harry and placed her books on the chair beside her. 

"Sorry I'm late. I was in the li-" she started, slowly trying to put some books into her bag. 

"Library. Yeah, we know Herm. Don't worry 'bout it," Harry cut in. 

Hermione smiled and poured some pumpkin juice for herself. 

"Wha er oo doig ere?" Ron said a mouthful. 

"What?" Hermione asked. 

Ron swallowed while Harry laughed at their behavior. 

_"Gees, one would think she could understand him by now, even if he has a mouth full. Oh well… who can blame her?" thought Harry, as Hermione and Ron stared at him. _

"As I was saying, what were you doing there? We just started school. _None of the teachers had given any assignment to us… yet," Ron asked again, before digging into his pile of food again. _

"Oh, I was just doing some research," she replied, then taking a sip of her juice. 

"For what?" Harry asked, looking up and grabbing hold of his goblet.

"Nothing much. Just stuff about Arithmancy," Hermione lied quickly.

She hated lying to them but she couldn't tell them about the Prophecy just yet. Not until the time is right.

_'Lucky for me they're not taking Arithmancy,'_ she thought to herself.

"You and your Arithmancy. Anyway, make sure you come up to the Common room with us after this. We're gonna show you that _thing_ we said we should," Ron reminded her with a twinkle in his eyes.

"Honestly, I wish you two would quit being so secretive about this whole thing and just tell me about it," Hermione sighed while playing with her food.

"What's wrong Herm? You look kinda stressed. You've been playing with your food a lot now a day. Since yesterday, I think," Harry asked, concerned note in his voice.

"It's nothing." She quickly lied again because she didn't want them to worry about her.

"No it's not. We know you better than that," Ron said.

He put his fork down and looked at Hermione.

"Professor McGonagall asked me to tutor Dudley for a while. I don't know why but I think he must be doing really badly since it's only the first day of school and still he can't cope. It's not that I don't want to do it but I've got a lot on my plate as it is," Hermione sighed.

Harry's eyes suddenly turned cold when she mentioned Dudley's name. His eyes traveled from Dudley, who was sitting at the very end of the table alone, to the Dursleys'. Uncle Vernon was eating almost everything on the plates in front of him while Aunt Petunia was eating like a snobbish woman. Almost all the staff was staring at them. Even Professor Snape looked well mannered compared to Vernon. Harry turned back to Hermione.

"I'm really sorry Hermione. I shouldn't have agreed with Dumbledore to let them come here. It's even troubling you and the rest of the Gryffindors. I mean, look at all the points he lost this morning. I just wish that Voldemort didn't show up when he did. Things would've been much easier," Harry apologized to Hermione, clearly upset by the whole event.

"Don't worry about it, Harry. I'm all right. It's you we should be worrying about. I mean Voldemort is after you, not me," Hermione smiled as he reached for Harry's hand that was stretched out on the table and gave it a small squeeze.

Harry gave her a small smile in return.

"I wish he was dead," Ron said suddenly.

"I wish he was too but we have to be patient. He will, in due time," Hermione said. 

At the back of her mind, she remembered some of the information she had found in one of the oldest book in the library. She didn't even know the book actually existed and she knew the library by heart already. The thought still made her wonder. It was really weird. She was pulling a couple of books in the back of the library and some of them fell. She was picking them up when the book caught her attention. She picked it up and saw that it was the book that Dumbledore was talking about. Now she just had to tell Malfoy.

"Hey Herm. Are you with us?" Harry asked gently.

Hermione snapped back into reality.

"I'm sorry. What were you saying?" Hermione asked.

"We were wondering how you and Malfoy are getting along," Harry said again.

"Nothing has change. He's still the slimy git we all know and hate. To think that he would change his attitude after being Head Boy this year," Hermione answered.

"Well, I guess some people can't change. He's one of them," Ron said.

"I guess so," Hermione said softly.

After dinner that night, Hermione followed Harry and Ron back up into the Common room. It's been a while since she had last been there. She didn't actually sleep in her old dorm room anymore so that meant she didn't have to be there. They were talking about tomorrow's DADA class when they bumped into a sixth year Gryffindor girl. Harry quickly looked up and smiled at her. She smiled warmly at him and blushed. She quickly walked away. Hermione, who saw the whole incident, gave Harry a look.

"What was that all about?" she asked, smirking.

Harry quickly turned scarlet and mumbled something under his breath.

"What was that?" Hermione asked again.

"I sorta like her," Harry mumbled again but a little louder this time.

Hermione and Ron looked at each other before bursting out into laughter.

"Quit it!" Harry exclaimed but that only made Hermione and Ron laugh even harder.

They had to hang on to each other so that they wouldn't fall. Finally, after about five minutes of laughing, they calmed down.

"Did you know about this?" Hermione asked Ron, smiling broadly.

Ron just shook his head.

"How come you didn't tell us?" Ron asked, clutching his stomach that was hurting from all the laughing.

"Because I know you two would act like this. Beside, I don't know how she feels about me," he replied shyly.

"At least go talk to her. What's her name anyway?" Hermione said.

"Jade." Harry said with much love and care.

"Erm…How about adding a last name to that?" Ron asked.

"That I won't tell you," Harry said, walking ahead.

Hermione and Ron looked at each other again and then ran after him

"Why not?" they asked in unison.

"Because you wouldn't believe it and you'll probably tell me not to go ahead and date her," Harry said.

"No we won't," Hermione said.

"Yes you will."

"No we won't," Ron said.

"Yes you will.  
"We won't," Ron and Hermione said together.

"You will,"

"Won't"

"Will!"

"Won't!"

"Will!!! Forget it. I'm not telling you guys and that's final," Harry said.

"How come?" Ron asked.

"Because…"

"Because what?"

"Just because. Now can we please drop the subject?" Harry asked.

"Fine," Ron and Hermione said together.

None of the said another word until they were standing in front of the Fat Lady. They were just about to say the password when somebody called Harry.

"Harry! Wait a sec!" All three of them turned around and saw Dean running towards them.

"What is it?" he asked when Dean caught up with them.

"Do you think I can have a go at the tryouts tomorrow?" he asked.

"Sure! If you're good enough," Ron said.

"Great! And by the way, someone wanted me to pass this to you," he said, handing Harry a piece of parchment to him. Harry said his thanks and the four of them entered the common room after Ron had said the password. Harry, Ron and Hermione sat down on one of the empty couches in front of the fireplace. There was no one in the common room. Harry opened the note and read it.

"Who sent it?" Ron asked when Harry finish reading the letter.

"Jade. She was wondering about the first Hogsmeade trip," he said without taking his eyes off the paper.

"Why? It's not until the end of this week," Hermione said.

"I know. It's just that she was wondering if I want to meet her for a drink at The Three Broomstick," Harry blushed again.

Both Ron and Hermione were grinning this time.

"Well, well, well. It's seem as it the Great Harry Potter will no longer be available," Ron said.

"C'mon Harry. Please tell us her last name. We promise we won't make fun," Hermione pleaded.

"Why is it that you want to know her last name so badly?" Harry sighed.

"We just do. It's seems kinda weird to know her by only Jade. We wanna know her last name too," Ron said.

"Okay but please, when you do find out, don't say that I shouldn't go out with her or anything, okay?" Harry warned.

"We promise," Ron and Hermione said together.

"I'm only saying this once and I will NOT repeat. Ever! So listen carefully. Her name is Jade Iris G-"

"Harry! C'mon, we wanna see that thing you were talking about!" Seamus yelled suddenly, drowning Harry's voice until Ron and Hermione couldn't hear what he said.

"What?!" Ron and Hermione exclaimed together.

"I said it already and I will only say it once. Better luck next time," Harry grinned.

"But Seamus-" Ron said.

"Was talking-" Hermione continued.

"Too loud!!" they finished together.

"Well, too bad. C'mon, let's go see that thing I promised, Hermione," Harry said cheerfully.

Ron and Hermione stood still, unable to move from their spot.

"He's evil I tell you," Ron said.

"Yeah. Only he could plan such a thing," Hermione agrees as both of them watched Harry, Dean, Seamus and Neville walk towards the seventh year dorm.

Eventually, the both of them got up from their seat and followed the four boys into the dorm.

~*~

Harry was lying down on his bed, hands under his head and staring at the ceiling. They had just watched the recording of Dudley setting off a Dungbomb at Snape's class and had to go straight to bed. Laughing too much can cause headaches sometimes and this time, it was true. None of them felt it was necessary for a trip to the Infirmary to get the potion for the headache. So they all settled for a good night sleep instead. Besides, it was Snape who makes the potions and for all they knew, it could be poison.

Harry, on the other hand, couldn't sleep at all. He had a lot of things in his mind but mostly; he had a lot to think about. They were about Jade and Dudley. He'd rather think about Jade right now, though.

He knew both of his best friends were disappointed that he didn't tell Jade's full name. Why they wanted to know puzzled him. _"It wasn't a big deal. I mean, what's in a name?" _He wanted to tell them but then, if they knew the truth, they wouldn't let him go through with it.

Jade's a nice girl. She is one year younger than he was and he had started to notice her last year. They had become friends over the holidays. She actually sent him a letter. Harry had replied it and soon, they were sending letters to each other often. Ron didn't find out about it because Hedwig always managed to come back with the reply at strange hours of the night.

Background didn't really bother him that much. She was a nice girl and that's all he has to know. It was too bad for Ron and Hermione if they didn't like her for it. And with that as a final thought, he fell into deep sleep.

A/N: Hahaha! Who is the real Jade? I'll tell the FIRST reviewer why I put Dudley in Gryffindor AND how come he can see Hogwarts who can tell the EXACT full name AND guess who the next keeper is so don't forget to put your e-mail address in your review!!! I gave all of you a LOT of hints that I'm not sure if it's a fair play. Anyway, guess away. A few of you wanted me to put Dudley into Slytherin or don't want me to put him into Gryffindor. Please, don't ask me about that because I have my own reason. You'll find out about it later. It actually plays a big part in the whole story. Another asked me about how Dudley is able to see Hogwarts. That too will be revealed in due time. Be patient, okay?

MagicalMoonPrincess- Thank you very much. Next chapter will be out soon and review that one too would ya! This one too! :)

Snowwolf- You're sitting beside me again!!! Love Miss Hameeda for it!

Legolasbaby- The two poyos! Aishapoyo and Zuepoyo! My classmates nonetheless! Aishah, congrats! You made it into the Clare Cheerleaders' Team! Assunta will win this year though!!!!

Ron_2- You were wondering about my first language? Well, it's Malay. I don't think you know exactly what it is but if you wanna a sample, read Legolasbaby's review. My two crazy classmates wrote it! Thank You Very Much for the compliment!!!

--casvv--em- Thanks! The Quidditch season should starts real soon.

JOYMalfoy- I have my reason for putting him there. You'll find out later!

Kimbra- the clues are up there. Try and guess. Maybe you'll be the one I'll give the sneak peek to.

Seekerpeeker- thanks for the offer for the beta reader. I'll be considering it. Gimme a few weeks, okay?

Summersun- Thank You!!

T- well, Harry will have a girlfriend. I'm actually giving an intro about her. Descriptions will be given about her later.

Lily- sooner or later, you'll find out the reason!!

Zopoyo- sabar, zue. Sabar. Still under construction. 

Meredith R- thanks 4 reading! 

EyesWideShut- I'll kill you if u tell anyone bout the things I've told you! 

Cassie- as u requested 

Orange- don't worry. I'm not as young as you think I am. I think a senior in high school is mature enough bout u using that word, right? Anyway, thanks for reviewing, 

Tabi- well, he is gonna fall for Hermione but… I'll tell u that much! 

Fe- thanks!!


	11. Dudley’s First Flying Lesson And Quiddit...

Dudley goes to Hogwarts

Chapter 11

Dudley's First Flying Lesson And Quidditch Tryouts.

Disclaimer: I keep forgetting to write this. Well, from now on, I'm not writing it anymore so remember, HARRY AND CO. AIN'T MINE!!!

A/N: I'm not very good in English so please, bear with me, k? More A/N at the bottom.

Harry sighed to himself as he lay on his side. After waking in the middle of the night, he just couldn't get back to sleep. He tried sleeping on his back, his stomach and even with his head and legs dangling off the side of the bed but he couldn't find the right sleeping position. 

'_Maybe I'm too worried about the tryouts this afternoon to sleep_,' he thought to himself after thinking it over.

Harry pushed himself up into a sitting position and looked around the room. He was looking for any sign that might hint to him that he wasn't the only one awake… but he found none. He sighed to himself again as he threw back the comforter and slid off his bed, leaving both his feet dangling at the sides while his hand automatically reached for his glasses on the side table. Beside him, Ron was snoring loudly with his arms wide spread, both comforter and bed sheet on the floor at the side of his bed. Harry chuckled to himself at the sight of his friend.

It was too early to be 7.30, he realized as he looked at the window. Wanting to know if his guess was right or not, he got out of bed and walked towards the window, opening it as soon as he reached it. The cool morning air felt wonderfully refreshing on his bare chest. The sun was just beginning to rise and a thin layer of mist covered the Quidditch field, making the view breathtaking.

A loud groan snapped Harry back into reality and he turned towards the sound. Ron was stirring in his bed, hand searching around for his comforter. Unable to find it, he finally sat up and looked around the room. Then his attention turned to Harry, standing at the open window.

"Close the window, Harry. It's freezing," he mumbled sleepily.

Harry smiled but made no attempt to close it. Instead, he walked towards his wardrobe and took out his towel.

"Wake up, Ron. I really don't know how you can sleep at a time like this," Harry said, turning around only to find Ron already sitting up and stretching his body.

"It's easy. All you have to do it shut your eyes and begin a dream by yourself until the real dream takes over and you sleep," Ron said, standing up and walked towards the window that Harry was standing at earlier.

After a few minutes of staring out the window, he let out a long sigh.

"I don't think we'll find him, Harry," Ron said softly, referring to the replacement keeper.

"We'll find him, Ron. Don't worry about it so much. We'll know when the time comes," he replied with the same tone as Ron's.

"I hope so. We have to win that Cup, Harry. We just gotta."

"I know Ron. Don't worry about it," Harry said again as he exited the room, shutting the door quietly behind him. 

He himself was worried but he couldn't let Ron know about that. They both knew how hard it was going to be to win the Quidditch cup because Dudley will lose more points faster than Harry could catch the snitch. But he had to keep his head. They couldn't both be uncontrollably worried and Ron's not exactly the type who kept calm and didn't go frantic when he got too worried about something. So, it was up to Harry to be the calm one. Just like every other time.

He headed for the boys' bathroom, not bothering to go to the prefect's bathroom. After all, it was just a quick shower and then back to the dorm. After showering and shaving, he realized that he'd forgotten his clothes. Mumbling to himself, he wrapped the towel around himself and stuck his head outside the door, looking for any sign of anyone. After finding no one, he quickly darted out of the bathroom and made his way quickly towards his dorm. At a corner, he bumped into someone and his towel nearly slipped but he managed to adjust it before something 'unnecessary' happened.

"I'm sorry. I was in a hurry that I wasn't really paying attention. Are you okay?" he asked on impulse before he actually saw the person who he bumped into.

"I'm okay, I guess. What's the rush about?" a female voice answered. 

Harry looked down, staring into a pair of aqua blue eyes.

"Nothing much. Here," he said, offering his hand to her which she took gratefully. Harry pulled her up to her feet.

"Thanks. Well… I guess you better get back to your dormitory then. Wouldn't wanna catch a cold now, would you?" Jade said after a few minutes of staring at each other. Harry blushed a little at her comment.

"Yeah, I guess so. Well then, see you around," he mumbled before walking away quickly.

He then took one last glance at her before making a corner. He saw that she was actually smiling at him.

Finally, after what seemed to be an eternity of running towards his room, Harry finally opened the door and entered the room, slamming the door loudly behind him. That caused most of the Gryffindors in his room to stir and some to wake up.

"What's wrong with you?" Ron asked, sitting up on the bed, looking puzzled.

"Nothing much. Just forgot to bring my clothes," Harry mumbled, walking towards his wardrobe and picking out the clothes he had managed to buy during the holidays after he was finally able to persuade Ron and Hermione to go along with him. After putting on his black jeans, he threw the towel and as he reached for his navy blue 'No Fear' t-shirt. Harry looked around the room again and this time, he noticed that Dean wasn't in his bed.

"Hey Harry. Hang on for a sec. This shouldn't take long," Ron said while he exited the room with his clothes and towel. 

Harry nodded his head and pulled the t-shirt over his head.

"Hey Harry. Who'd you think our new keeper would be?" Neville asked after yawning a few times.

"Well, it could be you. Why? Are you planning to at least try out for that position?" Harry asked as he flopped back down on the bed.

"No way! I hate flying. You know what happened the first time I tried to ride a broom. I ended up with a broken arm!" Neville pointed out, getting out of bed.

"Oh yeah! That was funny," Dean laughed while drying his hair and entering the room. Apparently, he had taken a _very_ quick swim in the ever so huge prefect pool while Harry was taking his shower.

"It was not! I could've been killed!" Neville wailed as the rest of them laughed.

"Well then, who's this little round kid that I'm talking to?" Dean asked, pinching Neville's cheek.

"Quit it!" Neville said, smacking Dean's hand away. 

Dean pretended to be hurt, whining about Neville hitting his hand. Neville laughed at Dean's acting skills, as he knew that Dean was only being a friend by pointing this out to Neville. Then Neville threw his pillow at Dean to make him stop. Dean got the idea and stopped teasing Neville and even helped him out of bed. Harry chuckled at the sight of his two roommates. It was the same thing every morning and they always managed to start his day off with a laugh. Just a few seconds later, Ron came into the room, water dripping from his hair.

"That was _way_ too fast, Ron. Even for you," Harry said, looking over at his friend.

"I know. I think it's a new record or something," Ron panted.

"Whatever. You better dry up your hair, Ron or you might catch a cold or something," Harry said while pulling his robes over his head. 

Ron snorted but he took his advice anyway. While Ron was doing that, Harry grabbed a brush and ran it along his hair but no matter how hard he tried, it still looked messy.

"You're never gonna tame that hair of yours, Harry," Ron said while snatching the brush away from him and running it through his own hair.

"I know but at least I tried, right? C'mon, let's go down to the Great Hall. I'm starving!" Harry said, walking towards the door with Ron behind him.

On their way to the Great Hall, the both of them talked about the latest model broomstick that was in the market.

"I'm telling you, Harry, none of the brooms that are out there could compete with the Firebolt. It's still the best broomstick money could buy!" Ron said.

"I don't know. That Lazer brand looks as if it could match the Firebolt," Harry replied.

"Are you kidding me? Didn't you read the review in the Witch Weekly last week? It says that-"

"You actually _read_ Witch Weekly, Ron?" Harry laughed as he watched Ron turn bright red.

"_No_! Ginny did and she told me about it! Anyway, it says that even Clean Sweep's better than Lazer!" Ron said. 

As they were busy debating whether Firebolt was still the best broomstick around, Ron accidentally bumped into someone.

"Oops. Sorry," he said.

"Watch where you're going, boy!" the voice roared. 

Harry and Ron looked up only to find Vernon, Petunia and Dudley walking towards them.

"He said he was sorry! Sheesh. C'mon Ron. I heard that Charlie's buying another broom for you guys. Is it true?" Harry asked but before they could walk away, Vernon and Dudley burst into laughter.

"Broom? You're excited that he's buying a new _broom_?" Dudley laughed.

"As a matter of fact, yes I am. But it isn't just _any_ broom. It's a _flying_ broom. I do believe that you're actually having your first flying lesson today, Dudley? And if I'm not mistaken, it's before our tryouts today. We'll see if you fly as well as you eat," Harry smirked.

"Why I oughtta-" Dudley said, raising his fist up in the air in attempt to punch Harry.

"Careful Mister Dursley. I'm your senior _and_ a prefect so I suggest that you be careful. Now, I believe that it's almost time for breakfast. See you in the Great Hall," Harry said again, his arms folded in front of his chest. 

Dudley lowered his fist but still growled at both Harry and Ron. Vernon was growling too. Harry and Ron gave each other a high-five and walked towards the Great Hall, smiling all the way.

~*~

"Harry! Ron!" Hermione called from their usual seat. 

Harry caught her eyes and waved back at her. As both of them make their way towards Hermione, Harry noticed that Hermione reading a letter.

"Hmm. A love letter. From who, I wonder?" Harry asked, taking a seat across from Hermione.

"Actually, I have no idea. A House-Elf gave it to me when I was finding a place for us to sit as it's not signed, I have not the slightest clue from whom it is from," Hermione sighed, placing the letter into her bag.

"A secret admirer, Hermione? Looks like the game begins again for our Head Girl," Ron laughed, trying hard to sound serious and sad about it but his laughter gave him away. 

"And before you ask, no. It's not from me." Ron actually had a crush on Hermione and started sending love letters to her, saying that it was her secret admirer. When she actually found out that it was from him, they decided to date for a while but when the spark wasn't there, they broke off. They decided that it was best if they'd remained friends.

"I wonder who it is this time," Harry wondered out loud.

"Actually, I don't really care. I'm not playing this game again this year especially with us taking NEWTs this year," Hermione said while spreading marmalade onto her bread and taking a bite out of it. 

Harry laughed as he watched the students slowly filling up the Great hall for breakfast. His eyes suddenly caught a pair of aqua blue ones and he quickly turned to look at Ron, hoping that he wasn't blushing.

"Harry, are you okay? You looked a bit flushed," Hermione asked in a worried tone.

"Yeah Harry. You've been red all morning. Are you sick or something?" Ron asked. So much for hoping.

"I'm fine. I'm a bit hot, that's all," Harry laughed weakly as he fanned himself with his hand.

"Okay…" Ron replied.

All three of them continued their breakfast in silence after that.

~*~

Dudley mumbled to himself as he made his way down to the Quidditch field alone. He was in his parents' room, whining to his parents about what happened to him last night before he remembered about the flying lesson that afternoon. It seemed as if the teacher that was suppose to be teaching them was needed at a very important meeting. 

He watched as the rest of his classmates talked among each other and totally ignored him. He cursed Harry under his breath again for making him look bad. There were brooms laid side by side on the ground. 

_ "What's so great about these brooms? They look exactly like normal brooms," _he thought to himself.

Just then, the teacher turned up and walked towards them.

"Good afternoon class. Well, what are you waiting for? Step up to the right side of the broom. Then, stick out your right hand over the broom and say 'Up'," Madam Hooch instructed as she faced the class. 

Gryffindor was on one side and Slytherin the other. Slowly, each of them walked up to the right side of the broom and attempted to make the broom come to their hands.

Dudley was one of the last one to choose a broom. When he finally did, he stared at the lifeless broom at the ground by his side. Taking a deep breath, he shouted timidly.

"Up!" he said. The broom didn't even budge an inch. It just stayed there, like an ordinary broom.

"Up!" he said again, louder this time. Nothing. Taking another deep breath, Dudley shouted 'Up!' again.

Instead on the broom jumping up into his outstretched arm, the broom sprang up and began to chase him around the field. Dudley ran around Madam Hooch, screaming his head off but the broom still wouldn't leave him alone. Unknown to him, Harry, Ron and Hermione was watching the whole incident from nearby. Harry and Ron were laughing so hard that both of them had fallen onto the ground, clutching their stomachs. Hermione just looked at them with a disapproving look and went over to help Madam Hooch.

"Here, Madam Hooch. Let me," Hermione said. 

Madam Hooch just nodded and watched as Hermione waved her wand and said something under her breath. Soon, the broom was on the ground again.

"Thank you, Miss Granger," Madam Hooch said as she walked over towards Dudley who was on the ground, panting very hard from the running he had done.

"Are you alright, Mister Dursley?" Madam Hooch asked, helping him up.

"I'm * pant * fine. Thank you, Hermione," Dudley huffed. 

Hermione smiled warmly at him.

"It's okay," she said before turning around and walking towards Harry and Ron who were still laughing.

"Do you want to sit somewhere and watch?" Madam Hooch asked.

"No. I'm okay," Dudley said, standing straight. 

He couldn't chicken out now. Both Harry and Hermione would be watching and he couldn't let Harry think he was a coward. Madam Hooch nodded as she handed him another broom. Then, she turned back to face the class.

"Okay, all of you mount your brooms. When I blow my whistle, you will all kick off from the ground, hard. Ready? Three, two," then she blew her whistle. 

Dudley mounted up his broom and kicked off from the ground like Madam Hooch instructed. Luck was on his side as the broom he was on rose up a couple of feet above the ground. Dudley was beaming.

"Now, to go up, all you have to do is pull back on the handle gently and if you want to turn, gently turn your body to the sides and it will follow your movements," Madam Hooch instructed again. 

Dudley tried to pull back on the handle but the broom wouldn't go up like Madam Hooch said it would. Instead, it seems to be going down. He watched as the rest of the class fly above him.

"Mister Dursley. Pull back on your handle gently," Madam Hooch said to him.

"I did," he wailed and tried again but the broom simply won't go. 

It was going lower and lower until Dudley had to plant his feet back on the ground so that he wouldn't fall.

"I don't understand it. Here, try another broom," Madam Hooch said as she handed him another broom. "It should work since Professor Dumbledore said that he just bought this one before the start of the term."

Dudley mounted up the broom and once again, he kicked off from the ground hard. The same thing happened as before and it seems as if the broom couldn't carry him higher than a couple of feet.

"Maybe it's because he's too fat, Madam Hooch!" A Slytherin boy yelled from above both of them and the rest of the class laughed. Even the Gryffindors were laughing.

"It is a possibility. Well, there's nothing we can do about it. Come down, all of you. Class dismissed since the Gryffindor Quidditch team are going to use the field for their tryouts," Madam Hooch called them down. 

After a few more minutes, all of them landed back on the ground and handed the brooms back to Madam Hooch.

"It's all yours, Mister Potter," Madam Hooch said as Harry and Ron walked over towards them.

"Thank you, Madam Hooch," Harry said, smiling away. 

All of the Gryffindors, including Dudley, stayed back to watch how the tryouts would be like. Each of them took a seat on the field and some of them even laid down on the ground, facing the sky. Harry mounted up his Firebolt and kicked off from the ground. The first years cheered for him as he did a loop in the air.

"Hey Harry! Get back down here! I'm the one who's suppose to be flying!" Ron shouted from the ground. Harry grinned and landed on the ground beside Ron. He handed the broom to Ron.

"Here. I'm letting you use it just this once," He said and Ron beamed.

"Thanks. Well, here they come," Ron said as he pointed to a bunch of Gryffindors who were headed their way. Harry shouted to get their attention.

"Excuse me! Could you please settle down? Thank you. As you all know, I'm Harry Potter, the Quidditch captain this year and this is Ron Weasley. He'll be shooting the Quaffle and all of you will attempt to block it. Please sign your name here and I will be calling you one by one to try your skills against Ron," Harry explained and handed the form to the nearest guy in front of him. 

All of them crowded around him so that they too could sign up their names.

"Well Ron, good luck," he said and Ron snorted.

"It's them you need to wish good luck too. Ron Weasley never misses a goal," he said. 

Harry rolled his eyes and after a couple of minutes, the form was with him and Ron was up in the air, waiting for his opponent.

"Okay. First up, Rogers Johansson," Harry called out and a fifth year guy with brunette hair mounted up his broom and took his place.

Ron smirked as he made as if he was shooting at the tallest hoop but shot it to the second highest when Rogers fell for his trap. Ron grinned to himself as he watched the Quaffle go through the hoop. After another try and still couldn't stop the Quaffle from going through the hoop, Rogers landed back on the ground.

"Nice try, Rogers. Helen, you're up!" Harry cried. This continued for another 2 hours and none of them managed to stop Ron's Quaffle. Finally, Harry called up the last person on the list.

"Okay, nice try Yvonne. And the last person to tryout today. Jade Iris G-… Jade?" Harry said again. 

He turned around to see the girl smiling back at him.

"Is it okay if I have a go?" she asked, broom on her shoulder.

"S-Sure. Go ahead," Harry stuttered. 

Jade gave him one last smile and she was up in the air. Ron grinned again as he got ready to shoot. Another fake. Ron thought that she had fallen for it because she dived for the lowest hoop, so he shot the Quaffle at the highest hoop. But before he knew it, the Quaffle was in Jade's hand. Ron's mouth hung open. Wow, was she fast or what?! It was Jade who was grinning this time as she threw back the Quaffle at Ron.

Ron smirked as he mumbled 'beginner's luck' under his breath as he positioned himself for another attack. This time he tried for the lowest hoop but actually shot for the middle hoop. Again, Jade caught it in an instant. Finally, Ron admitted his defeat. Both of them landed on the ground and Harry ran towards them.

"Congratulations, Jade. Well guys-," he said to the rest of the Gryffindor Quidditch team who came out to watch the tryouts. "Let me introduce to you our new Keeper. Meet Jade Iris Goyle."

"WHAT?!?!" all the members of the Quidditch team, including Hermione, yelled.

A/N: Dum Dum Dummm… Hehehe. So now you know whom Jade really is. I was surprised no one could guess her last name. Some of you guessed Granger but how is that possible? I mean, wouldn't Hermione know her own sister? And the keeper position thingy. Think back. It couldn't be Ron 'cos he's already the Chaser. Naturally, it couldn't be Harry 'cos he's the Seeker. It couldn't be Dean or Seamus since they're already the beaters and it couldn't be Neville 'cos he's to chicken to be even flying. Well, I'm glad that no one guessed that the new keeper to be Ginny or even Hermione. Then I wouldn't be just laughing, I'd be falling off my chair! Anyway, thanks to all of you who reviewed and actually took the time to guess. One of you actually got it partly correct. If I'm not mistaken, it was Ron_2 but you guessed twice so that doesn't count. 

A/N 2- Might as well warned you guys that this story would be a **_LONG _**story. Actually, I just finished up making the schedule for this story and it's taking place through out Harry's 7th year so I hope you'll stay with me on this one. And to think that it's only September! Anyway, I'm sorry if I'm taking my time on posting this story. I promise I'll try and post the 12th chapter as soon as possible. With 10 subjects to revise and memorize as well as tuition work and folios, I'll be glad if I have some time for myself. And to top it all off, EXAM THIS WEEK! My two Beta reader and me are all busy so please, bear with us. With Add Math and Chemistry and Physics and Biology and History and- why am I telling you guys this? Somebody help me! I'm really losing it… Well, till the next chapter… See ya! Don't have time. My thanks to all those review. I'll mention you guys in the next Chapter, K? 


	12. Fights and Regrets

~*~Dudley goes to Hogwarts~*~  
  
Chapter 12  
  
Fights and Regrets  
  
Disclaimer: Nothin' is mine.  
  
* A/N at the bottom…*  
  
* Continues right after the tryouts *  
  
"Harry, you can't be serious. She's a Goyle, for God's sake! I mean she's practically as bad as… a Malfoy!" Hermione said, as she walked briskly on Harry's right.  
  
"Yeah, Harry. Think about it. I mean, what if she suddenly turned you to her brother who'll turn you in to Malfoy who'll turn you in to Lucius who'll turn you in to You-Know-Who who'll definitely kill you as soon as he get his slimy hands on you!" Ron agreed, shivering at the thought of Harry being passed around like that.  
  
"See! This is exactly why I didn't want to tell you about her in the first place! I just knew the both of you would react this way without even giving her a fair chance!" Harry exclaimed, as he swung his Firebolt over his left shoulder, barely missing Ron's head.  
  
"Please be reasonable, Harry. We're only doing this for your own good. I mean, we don't even know a thing about her that can actually prove that she can be trusted in any way," Hermione said again, sounding very concerned.  
  
"Be reasonable? How about yourselves? You don't know anything about her but I do. I'd been writing to her all summer and she knew where I was the entire time. Consider this. If she was evil or even bad in the first place, she'd go straight to Voldemort and tell him where I was so he could kill me. That would have made her top notch in Voldemort's staff," Harry pointed out.  
  
"He's right… Voldemort has a staff?" Ron said.  
  
"Figure of speech, Ron," Harry said, placing his hand on Ron's shoulder to reassure him that he meant it in a friendly manner.  
  
"Yes but… maybe it was a trap to make you fall head over heels for her and not trust your friends who'd think that she's a threat to you and you'd end up fighting with them about it. She wants you to be off guard so that she could lure you out of Hogwarts, away from us as well as Professor Dumbledore, who is, by the way, the only protection you have against Voldemort, so that she could personally hand you over to You-Know-Who," Hermione said a single breath.  
  
"She's right, you know," Ron said to Harry.  
  
"Yes, I know but I'm not that dumb. Unlike you, I happen to give her a chance to prove that she's not like her brother and I happen to know her better than both of you will ever know. And another thing, if she was anything like her brother, why do you think she's in Gryffindor in the first place?" Harry asked, almost yelling.  
  
"He's right, you know," Ron turned to Hermione.  
  
"Maybe it's because she's been told by Voldemort himself to ASK to be in Gryffindor like you did but you asked not to be in Slytherin. Maybe Voldemort wanted to trap you using her since she entered this school in the first place," Hermione yelled back.  
  
At this point all three of them had already stopped walking. Harry and Hermione were yelling while facing each other. Ron, on the other hand was standing between the both of them, turning to look from one face to the other.  
  
"You know what, Hermione? I think you're just jealous. You're just scared that I'll hang out with Jade more than I hang out with you! You're just scared that people will stop paying attention to you just because you're no longer the friend of Harry Potter. You're just scared you'll be the geeky girl that you once before and won't get any boyfriends," Harry yelled.  
  
Hermione glared at him. Ron covered his ears, anticipating for the worst.  
  
"Excuse me?! Just who do you think I am? Someone who hangs around you just because he thinks of himself as the greatest being that walks upon the surface of this planet? Oh, please! I can do without you hanging around me 24/7 just because you're too lazy to think of the answer to the easiest questions Professor McGonagall had ever given to us. Plus, all you ever wanted was just an easy way out. You never bother to do your own research because you know at the end of the day, even if you've given all the wrong answers, I'll point out to you the real answers instead and you get off easy!" Hermione yelled back.  
  
"For your information, I do NOT hang around you because I want the answers to every god damn homework! I do have a brain of my own and I CAN think for my own! I don't need you!" Harry hissed.  
  
"Fine. If you don't need me, then don't you ever think that I need you!"  
  
"Fine!" Harry yelled back.  
  
"FINE!" both of them yelled together before going off towards separate directions, Harry's broom swinging and smacking Ron in the head.  
  
Ron just stood in the middle, gingerly rubbing his head and looked at both their backs as they stormed off towards their destinations.  
  
"Oh boy. This is gonna be one hell of a fight," Ron sighed.  
  
~*~  
  
"Phase one completed. Now, for phase two," a voice said softly but excitedly as its owner watched Harry and Hermione storm off towards two different directions.  
  
~*~  
  
Hermione stormed off towards the great lake. She was still upset with Harry that she didn't even bother to answer the greetings she got while walking there. She knew that she'd end up barking at them so why cause more trouble? As she stood at the top of the stairs, she looked around and sighed. The sun was setting and the reflection of the sun at the lake made it look peaceful. Hermione began to climb down the stairs slowly as she began to think back on the fight she had with Harry.  
  
'What's gotten into me? I don't usually blow up like that. It's normal with Ron but with Harry, it's very rare,' she thought to herself.  
  
The cool wind blew at her as she walked towards the lake.  
  
'Maybe I should go apologize. Maybe I'm wrong and Jade really is a nice girl. Maybe…' she stopped walking and stared at the scene in front of her.  
  
There, right next to a tree, near the lake itself, was Malfoy and Jade, talking to each other. Malfoy was facing Jade while his hand was stroking her long black hair. But what startled Hermione the most was the fact that Malfoy was actually smiling. Just a small smile but a smile none the less. But then, he grew serious and started nodding his head as Jade said something that Hermione couldn't quite hear because of the distance. He started saying something too and then, he looked up and saw Hermione watching them.  
  
Hermione suddenly remembered where she was and started running towards the building. She could hear Malfoy calling her last name but she kept on running until she reached a portrait.  
  
"Miss Granger! What's wrong?" the lady in the golden dress asked.  
  
"Please, I don't really have much time. Honey," she said, painting.  
  
As soon as the door opened, Hermione entered and ran towards the room, locking the door behind her.  
  
~*~  
  
Malfoy ran after her. She shouldn't have seen what she saw. It would ruin everything!  
  
'Damn her! She sure can run fast!' Malfoy thought to himself as he called out her name.  
  
She could be seen running towards their rooms but after awhile, he lost sight of her. After a few minutes, he finally reached the portrait and he straightened his robes.  
  
"Honey," he said.  
  
The lady in the golden dress just shook her head and let him through. Then, Malfoy darted towards Hermione's room and started banging at her door.  
  
"Granger! You better open this door right now or I'll-"  
  
"Forget it!"  
  
"I swear Granger, if anyone finds out about this-"  
  
"Don't worry, Harry will never find out about this. Not in the near future, at least!" Hermione yelled back from inside.  
  
Malfoy gave the door one last punch before he waked off into his own room.  
  
~*~  
  
"Harry! Wait up!" Ron called out as he ran to catch up with him.  
  
Harry was furious. How dare Hermione said that about Jade… and about him. Finally, Ron was walking beside Harry.  
  
"Hey Harry, forget about what she said. She didn't mean it and you know she didn't mean any of it," Ron said to him.  
  
"Yes she does and she didn't have any right to say what she did. If I wanna date Jade, that's my problem!" Harry cried, still waking towards the astronomy tower.  
  
"But she was only looking out for your best interests. C'mon Harry. I know you know that she didn't mean it. You know Jade and it's up to you to change her mind about her," Ron said again but this time, he pulled Harry to a stop.  
  
"But she should've given her a chance," Harry sighed.  
  
"I know and she made a mistake this time. She's not perfect, you know," Ron reminded him.  
  
"Oh yes she is," Harry chuckled.  
  
"Well, maybe she is but she's still one of your best friends. Stop fighting with her and get this whole thing over with. Fighting with Hermione is my job, remember?" Ron said.  
  
"Yeah, I know. For once, you're right. I'll talk to her right after dinner," Harry sighed after a short pause.  
  
"You better or else she won't be the only one who's going to give you the silent treatment," Ron warned.  
  
"Fine, I'll go. C'mon, I have to put this away. I don't need Dudley stealing this from me like he usually does," Harry smiled while pointing to his broomstick.  
  
"Sure. Let's go."  
  
They changed their destination and walked towards the Gryffindor tower while discussing about the tryouts that day when Hedwig came flying in out of nowhere and dropped a letter on Harry's head.  
  
"What's this?" Harry asked as he picked up the letter from the ground.  
  
"Well, open it. It must be urgent. Hedwig could've waited until tomorrow but she gave it to you now," Ron said as he watched Hedwig flew away from them.  
  
Harry nodded and opened the letter.  
  
Harry.  
  
I've gotten inside news about Voldemort. Rumour has it that he's gotten someone new on his side that could be close to you. They might be in Hogwarts even but I'm not sure. Try to stay away from Malfoy and don't go wondering around alone at night or even during the day. I'll keep in touch soon.  
  
Snuffles  
  
"Bad news?" Ron asked as soon as Harry finished reading the letter.  
  
"Very bad. Read it for yourself," Harry replied, handing the letter to Ron.  
  
He waited for a while as Ron read the letter.  
  
"Who do you think this person is?" Ron asked, giving back the letter to him.  
  
"Quite a number actually. We've got to tell Hermione bout this. C'mon," Harry said as both of them went off to look for Hermione.  
  
~*~  
  
Hermione sighed as she closed the book she had been reading and placed it beside her on the bed. Since the incident at the lake that afternoon, she'd locked herself in the room, not wanting to go out and meet neither Harry nor Malfoy. Without realization, she'd already missed dinner and her stomach was growling by the time she realized what time it was.  
  
She stretched on the bed one last time before she pushed herself off the bed and walked towards her dresser. After making sure her hair was at least presentable, she walked towards the enchanted door and said the word 'kitchen'. A soft white glow could be seen around the doorframe. As the glow slowly faded away, Hermione opened the door and stepped through it, closing the door behind her.  
  
The smell of warm bread filled the atmosphere and Hermione smiled warmly at the house-elves that were making their way towards her.  
  
"Oh, how can Tony help?" squeaked a house-elf, which was dressed in a clean tea towel.  
  
"Yes, yes, is Miss hungry?" said another.  
  
Before she knew it, Dobby came with a tray of desserts and buns, which were fresh from the oven.  
  
"Miss should take all this if Miss wants. We is having make more if Miss wants," said Dobby cheerfully.  
  
"Dobby! It's so wonderful to see you again. I'm sorry if I hadn't been able to visit you. I've been busy," Hermione said.  
  
"Dobby is no upset but happy that Miss is here now," Dobby replied.  
  
She caught a glimpse of Winky and she didn't look too bad. At least her clothing was clean and she wasn't drinking anymore. Winky merely smiled at her but didn't say a word. Hermione had more than she bargained for now and couldn't refuse the offer the house-elves had given so she took as much as she could.  
  
Hermione said her final goodbye and started walking back towards her room. It wasn't very late but most of the students were already heading off to bed. On her way back to her room, Hermione met some of her friends whom she greeted. She kept walking and without knowing why or how she was there, standing under the tree that she had seen Malfoy and Jade together earlier that afternoon.  
  
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath as the cold night air blew softly at her. She just couldn't believe that it had only been a few days since school started. A lot has been going on for the past few days that she would never thought would possibly happen to her. She just hoped that she'd be able to cope with it. The moon shone brightly above her.  
  
~*~  
  
She looked so different. So peaceful. So… beautiful. No wonder the guy's head over heels in love with her. All this years I've went past her, spied on her and sometimes mocked her behind her back. I've never really noticed how much she's changed. Too bad she's gotta go. Well, nobody ever said life was fair.  
  
~*~  
  
Harry couldn't sleep. He could feel that something was wrong but he just couldn't figure it out. As he tossed and turned in his bed, his thought suddenly wandered off to Hermione. Ron and himself were looking for her for quite some time to tell her about the letter he had gotten from Sirius that afternoon after the fight. She needed to know about it as soon as possible.  
  
After a while, his thoughts drifted back to the events that happened during the tryouts that afternoon. How Jade flew… How she played… How Hermione was saying that Jade shouldn't be trusted. Hermione, Hermione, Hermione. For some reason, his thoughts kept drifting off to her and it wouldn't stop.  
  
Sighing to himself, he then pushed himself into a sitting position and put on his glasses. Seamus and Dean's bed was still empty while Neville was already asleep in his own. Ron, on the other hand, was flipping through the Quidditch magazine, which was laid on the bed.  
  
"Can't sleep?" Ron asked, looking at Harry.  
  
"No. I feel kinda… Restless. Uneasy," he replied as he got up from his own bed.  
  
"You too? I thought I was the only one," Ron replied, putting the magazine aside.  
  
"Weird, isn't it? And to tell you the truth, it's always come back to Hermione." He took a seat on Ron's bed, facing Ron.  
  
"I know. It's kinda like she's…" Ron trailed off, looking at Harry.  
  
"Oh no. We've got to find her," Harry replied frantically, pulling Ron towards the door.  
  
"But where? This school isn't exactly small, you know," Ron pointed out as he followed Harry's lead.  
  
"Instinct. And right now it's telling me to get to the lake A.S.A.P." Harry kept running while pulling Ron behind him through the Common Room though close friends kept asking if he's all right.  
  
"But that's on the other side of the school. It'll take us at least 5 minutes to get there!" Ron said.  
  
"Well then, I suggest we start running."  
  
~*~  
  
Quiet and steady movements. Someone was quietly making its way towards the figure that was sitting on one of the many huge rocks beside the lake. The person smiled, thinking if success had been achieved in the first task. She didn't feel the person present and that was definitely an advantage. In a flash, the person knocked the girl unconscious and let her fall into the icy cold water of the lake.  
  
"Sweet dreams, 'mione," the person whispered before leaving the girl to drown.  
  
~*~  
  
"Where is she?" Harry said, breathlessly.  
  
"How should I know? We followed your instinct. Not mine," Ron pointed out.  
  
Harry, on the other hand, was already at the bottom of the steps, running around to find Hermione with hope that she's all right.  
  
"She's somewhere here. She just gotta," Harry mumbled to himself.  
  
"You're just paranoid. Harry, she'll be okay! Maybe we're wrong. Maybe she's nicely sleeping in between her covers while we're out here, chasing after something base on instincts," Ron called out as he watched Harry run around the lake.  
  
Suddenly, Ron heard Harry yell.  
  
"Ron, hurry up! She's half dead!" Harry cried and Ron was standing there beside him almost in an instant.  
  
"Oh my God! Harry, we need to get her outta there!" Ron cried and both he and Harry jumped into the water to drag Hermione out.  
  
"Hermione! Hermione, get a hold of yourself! Hermione!!" Harry cried out as he tried to revive her.  
  
"It's no good. She's turning blue!" Ron cried.  
  
"We need to get her to the hospital wing! Hurry up Ron!" Harry yelled and both of them were running towards the hospital wing, drenched, with Hermione on a stretcher they conjured up. As they ran towards the hospital wing, Ron was yelling at Hermione all the way.  
  
"Don't you dare die on me just yet, Hermione Granger! Harry might not need your answers but I sure do! If you die, I'll have to do all the research myself!" he yelled.  
  
"Ron, shut up! You're not helping!" Harry yelled back.  
  
As soon as they reach the hospital wing, Harry burst through the door, waking up the sleeping nurse.  
  
"What's the matter with you, Mister Potter?! It's already late and-"  
  
"Madam Pomfrey, Hermione's dying. You've got to help her," Harry said, slightly panting from the running he had to do that night.  
  
Madam Pomfrey looked startled but then she helped them.  
  
"Hurry up and put her on the bed. We might not have much time."  
  
* * *  
  
A/N: HOLIDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Finally, I managed to finish Chapter 12. Sorry if it's a bit crappy and I am so sorry it took ages for me to post this. It's actually 3.18 a.m. now and I kinda forced myself to finish writing this chapter. Anyway, I'm just gonna tell you that I might be hanging this story for about 5 to 6 months because of the EXAMS. Won't blab too much about it because I'm already sick of it. It's not just for me but my two beta-readers need to study too so might as well hang this. If I have the time (which I don't think I have anymore), I'll write chapter 13 but I'm not promising anything. Thanks to all those people who's putting up with me especially Wolfsun and Snowwolf. My God, you have no idea what those two have to put up with every single day. Anyway, have fun people. Oh yeah, thanks to those who review. Keep it up!!!!!!!!  
  
  
  
~Wolfsun~ : You know it as well as we do… study time… sorry folks!  
  
P.S: She's stopped at a rather crucial part, hasn't she? *smirk * ~ws~ 


	13. Voices

Dudley goes to Hogwarts  
  
Chapter 13  
  
Voices  
  
It has been four days since Harry and Ron found Hermione in the lake. And it has been four days since the Head Girl was seen walking around school with two of her best friends, trying to get to class on time. It seems to be ironic on what can happen in a simple twenty-four hour.  
  
The fourth day sees Harry and Ron at the Grand Hall. Harry looking around the hall, looking for someone while Ron was playing with his food in front of him.  
  
"Why isn't she awake yet?" Ron asked suddenly, dropping his spoon with a loud clang.  
  
Harry turned around and looked over at his friend, who was sitting beside him.  
  
"I don't know, Ron. Just be patient. She'll come around. She always does," Harry replied, forcing on a smile.  
  
Ron sighed.  
  
"That's what I'm worried about. I'm just scared that she won't this time," Ron said, as he pushed his bowl of porridge aside and placed his head on top of the table.  
  
Harry shook his head and patted his best friend's back.  
  
"I'm sure she will. She's gonna be okay. Just have faith, okay?" Harry said again.  
  
Ron paused for a moment and then looked up at Harry. He nodded his head slowly. Harry smiled.  
  
"C'mon, let's get to class."  
  
~*~  
  
Harry was doodling endless lines and unknown figures on his history textbook while his thoughts were thinking back on what happened four days ago. Back to the night when they found Hermione unconscious in the lake. The images of her lying there still haunted him. More, when they found out what was wrong with her.  
  
~*Flashback*~  
  
It's pass midnight. Harry and Ron, however, were wide-awake. Harry was sitting in the hallway, on the cold floor while leaning back on the wall, facing the closed door of the infirmary. He was still in his robes, which was still damp from his 'swim' in the blood-mixed water in the lake earlier. Ron, on the other hand, was pacing in front of him, mumbling softly under his breath that Harry just couldn't quite catch. Harry shook his head slightly as he grabbed onto Ron's hand. Ron stopped and looked at Harry.  
  
"Ron, sit down. You're making me nervous," Harry said, and then he let go of Ron's hand.  
  
Ron stared blankly at his friend but he eventually slid down next to Harry. He buried his face in his arms, which were resting on his bended knees.  
  
"Why her, Harry? Why her?" Ron asked, his voice muffled by his arm.  
  
"I don't know Ron. Look, everything's gonna be all right. She'll pull through," Harry said, as he placed his arm on Ron's shoulder.  
  
"I just hope you're right," Ron replied after a long pause.  
  
Harry glanced sideways at one of his best friends. Even though the two of them fought with each other every time they have the chance, Harry knew that they cared about each other deeply. Throughout the times they've known each other, the three of them had been through everything together. It had created some sort of an invisible but strong bond between the three of them. It was through the bond that Harry felt something wasn't right. Ron felt it too but he kept denying it until they found Hermione that night. Maybe that's why he felt guilty.  
  
"She'll be fine," Harry said, reassuring him.  
  
Soon after that, Madam Pomfrey came out from behind the closed door.  
  
"What are you two doing here? It's past midnight," she exclaimed softly and shut the door behind her.  
  
Both Harry and Ron got up almost instantly.  
  
"How is she?" Ron blurted out.  
  
"Both of you shouldn't even be here. Off to bed now, both of you," she repeated herself as she pushed Ron away from the door.  
  
"Please, Madam Pomfrey, we really need to know how she's doing," Harry said.  
  
The matron stopped and looked at the both of them. After a while, she sighed.  
  
"She should be thanking both of you. A few minutes later, I don't think she would've made it. There's a crack on her skull and it's quite serious. On top of that, she lost quite a large amount of blood due to the injury she received. Not to mention that the wound caused her entire system to shut down and causing her to suffer from hypothermia," Madam Pomfrey explained softly.  
  
"But you can heal her, right? Can't you?" Ron asked, his voice full of hope.  
  
"Yes, I can. I've done everything I could to heal all of her injuries but there are times that even magic wouldn't help," she replied.  
  
"What do you mean?" Harry asked.  
  
"She's in a coma. I can't help her this time. She's going to have to wake up on her own."  
  
"Can we see her?" Ron asked.  
  
"No. Not tonight. All three of you need rest," Madam Pomfrey said sternly.  
  
"Just for a minute. We promise we-"  
  
"No! Off to bed, both of you. I promise, both of you will be the first to know when she comes around. Now go," she said, pushing both boys towards the direction of the Gryffindor tower.  
  
Harry and Ron turned to look at the infirmary where their best friend was for the last time before walking towards the tower.  
  
~End Of Flashback~  
  
Harry came back to reality when he noticed someone was calling him.  
  
"What?" he asked, looking around the classroom.  
  
Ron, who was standing in front of him, looked at the prefect.  
  
"Are you okay? History's over. We gotta go down for Potions," Ron said.  
  
Only then did Harry notice that the class was already empty. Harry nodded and started packing his books and stuff for Potions.  
  
"You were thinking about what happened to Hermione, weren't you?" Ron asked quietly.  
  
Harry's hand stopped in its task and Harry looked up to Ron's sad face. He didn't want Ron to worry anymore than he already was. He finally dumped everything into his backpack and smiled at Ron.  
  
"C'mon, let's get outta here."  
  
While they were walking towards the dungeons for Potions, both of them were quiet. They both knew that there was a lot to talk about, but none of them felt like talking about it. All of a sudden, they heard a distance cry from someone and both of them halted, causing someone, who was walking behind them, to bump into the two prefects.  
  
"Did you." Ron trailed off.  
  
Harry nodded his head.  
  
"Hermione," Harry whispered and both of them broke into a run towards the infirmary.  
  
~*~  
  
Hermione looked around her but she could see nothing. It was pitch black and cold. Hermione drew her arm around herself and shivered.  
  
'Where am I?' she thought to herself.  
  
Cold wind blew towards her and she tightened her grip around her body.  
  
"Hello?!" she cried out, hoping that she wasn't alone.  
  
"Ron? Harry?" she cried again after some time.  
  
"Harry. Harry. Harry." Hermione spun around towards the direction of the voice but there was no one there.  
  
"Hello? Hello! Can you here me?" Hermione yelled.  
  
"Harry. Harry. Harry." Hermione stood still.  
  
Was someone calling Harry? Who is it? And why aren't they answering her call?  
  
"No. It's not Harry. It's Henry," another voice said with a deeper voice. A man's voice.  
  
"Oh, sorry. We thought it was Harry," said another. A female's this time.  
  
"It's quite alright. I'm used to it by now," the male responded and laughter filled the air. A stronger wind blew, somehow making the laughter echo around her until it eventually died down.  
  
Hermione was stunned.  
  
Who were they? Where are they? Where was she? What's going on?  
  
Just questions and no answers.  
  
Another voice. Another male's.  
  
"Henry, what are you doing? Stop writing and let's get going! The rest are already waiting for us downstairs," he cried.  
  
Hermione heard a soft thud and a creaking of something. Footsteps could be heard.  
  
"Sorry D! I was just doing some research. C'mon, let's go," answered Henry and Hermione heard the sound of someone shutting the door.  
  
Seconds later, Hermione hears the sound of falling rain, accompanied by the sounds of thunder and strong wind. Henry yelled.  
  
"Get away from him!" Hermione froze.  
  
Whatever that is going on, it definitely not good.  
  
"Make me," replied a lazy sort of voice that Hermione couldn't recognize.  
  
" Exargrad Polmus- Someone help!!-" Henry cried and the other man yelled.  
  
By the sound of it, he must have banged against something. Hard. Someone was running.  
  
"D! Hang in there! Please! You can't just die. Not for me, anyway," Henry cried. Someone was sobbing in the background.  
  
"Too late, kid," D coughed. "Never really finished what we started now, did we?" D said softly, coughing from time to time.  
  
"Exactly. They have the right to know about everything," Henry sobbed.  
  
"You tell them. I'm. tired," D said and let out his last breath.  
  
Hermione gasped and placed her hand on her chest. A single tear slid from the corner of her left eye. She doesn't know why she did it. It just seems natural for her, though she doesn't know who they are.  
  
"No, don't go." she heard Henry whispered and then Hermione collapsed on her knees, sobbing.  
  
"He's dead," the other man replied.  
  
The wind was blowing harder.  
  
"You killed him!" Henry yelled.  
  
"So? What of it?" he laughed.  
  
"You'll pay for that."  
  
"You wish! What are you gonna do about it, Henry? Kill me? Well then, come and get me."  
  
"DIE!!" Henry cried and lightning suddenly struck out of nowhere, blinding Hermione's vision. The witch screamed.  
  
~*~  
  
Madam Pomfrey was carrying a tray full of medicine when a loud scream startled her, causing the matron to drop the tray. The bottle glasses dropped and shattered at her feet.  
  
She knew that it had to be Hermione, for she was the only patient of the matron. Madam Pomfrey ran towards the Head Girl's room, hoping that no harm was done to her. Making sure her wand was safely in her pocket, she entered the room, ready for anything.  
  
Hermione was sitting on the bed with sweat beads sliding down her bloodless face. Her breath came in short pants and she was shaking all over. The matron rushed over towards Hermione.  
  
"Hermione, are you alright? How are you feeling?" Madam Pomfrey asked, as she placed her palm on Hermione's forehead.  
  
Hermione looked at the matron with a dazed look.  
  
"Henry?" she whispered.  
  
Madam Pomfrey was startled but quickly regained her composure.  
  
"No, it's me. Madam Pomfrey. You better lay down," she replied, as she guided Hermione to lie back down on the bed.  
  
Hermione's vision was starting to focus.  
  
"Where am I?" she asked, her voice barely a whisper.  
  
"You're in the infirmary. Do you remember what happened?" Madam Pomfrey asked, as she checked Hermione's pulse.  
  
"No. I don't remember anything. How long have I been here?" she asked again.  
  
"You've been out for almost four days now. Open up. I need to check your temperature," Madam Pomfrey said and Hermione obeyed.  
  
Madam Pomfrey inserted a thermometer Hermione's mouth.  
  
"I'll be right back. Stay still until I come back," she instructed and Hermione nodded her head.  
  
The matron walked back into her office. Ignoring the mess she made earlier, Madam Pomfrey took some solutions from the medicine chest and placed them on another tray.  
  
"Excuse me, Madam Pomfrey. Can we visit Hermione?" a voice asked from behind as she exited the room.  
  
Madam Pomfrey turned around and saw Harry and Ron at the door.  
  
"You two. I was just about to send someone to call you. She's awake," Madam Pomfrey said.  
  
"We know. Can we see her?" Ron asked.  
  
"No. She just woke up and I have to-"  
  
"We'll wait. C'mon Ron," Harry interrupted and pulled Ron towards the chairs beside the office.  
  
She shook her head and walked towards Hermione's room. When she entered the room, she placed the tray on the side table and took out the thermometer out of Hermione's mouth.  
  
"Well, you have a slight fever so I'm going to have to keep you here for awhile," Madam Pomfrey said and Hermione nodded.  
  
"I know they're here. Can you let them come in? I really need to talk to them," Hermione requested, as she watched Madam Pomfrey pour some green liquid into a small cup.  
  
Madam Pomfrey sighed and placed both the cup and the bottle on the table.  
  
"You're really close to them, aren't you? I'm still wondering how they know you're awake. Well, take your medicine and I'll sent both of them in."  
  
"Thank you," Hermione smiled.  
  
She then took the cup that Madam Pomfrey offered and drank it all in one gulp. Her body warmed up almost instantly. The matron smiled and walked out of the room with the tray.  
  
Hermione then looked around the room. The sun was shining brightly through the window from the left side of the room. The room itself was painted soft blue and mostly everything else in the room was blue. Hermione sighed and leaned back against her pillow, trying to be as comfortable as possible.  
  
As she shut her eyes, she forced herself to remember what happened to her before she was unconscious. Try as she might, her thoughts kept drifting back to the dream she had before she woke up.  
  
The dream just doesn't make any sense. Just voices and sounds without any images. And why is it she felt as if what happened at that time matter to her and she was connected to it somehow. She needed to tell Harry and Ron about the dream. Maybe they could help.  
  
Madam Pomfrey walked towards the two Gryffindors. And, seeing the matron walking towards them, Harry and Ron stood up, hoping for some good news.  
  
"Both of you can go in, but try not to strain her too much. Both of you've got half an hour," she said.  
  
Harry and Ron beamed.  
  
"Thank you," they chorused and Madam Pomfrey nodded.  
  
Then, both of them darted towards the hallway.  
  
"Second door to your right," she called out.  
  
Harry's heart was pounding against his ribcage. Hermione was fine but he felt as if this was just another beginning to another problem. The fact that the scream both Ron and himself heard at the same time and Hermione just happened to wake up as soon as they got to the infirmary was too much of a coincident.  
  
But for Hermione, as well as his sake, Harry pushed every single doubt about his theory out the window as his hand reached for the doorknob. Slowly, Harry twisted it and pushed the door open, revealing what was inside.  
  
Hermione was lying on the bed; her head was against the wall while she herself was leaning against the pillow behind her back. They could swear she was as pale as Nearly-Headless-Nick and her usually bushy brown hair was tame, for once.  
  
Harry looked sideways at Ron, only to find the other boy was looking down on the tiled floor while his fists clung tightly. Harry placed his hand on Ron's shoulder and Ron looked up. Harry shook his head slightly and Ron nodded slowly after sometime. Harry felt him relax under his touch.  
  
"Hermione?" Ron squeaked and Hermione opened her eyes.  
  
Seeing who it was, she smiled gently at the both of them.  
  
"Hey," she said softly.  
  
"Hey. How are you doing?" Harry asked, walking slowly towards Hermione. Cautiously even.  
  
"I'm fine. Just a slight fever, that's all," Hermione said, louder this time.  
  
Seeing her two best friends in front of her gave her the strength she needed. She was glad when she saw them smile.  
  
"Thank god. Don't ever do that to us again! You scared the both of us to death!" Ron sighed, settling himself on the bed, near Hermione left knee.  
  
Harry, on the other hand, was sitting on the chair on Hermione's' right.  
  
"Well, it's only fair, isn't it? Usually, I worry over the both of you. It's only right that you worry about me, at least once," Hermione smiled.  
  
"You know, she has got a point," Harry pointed out and Ron groaned.  
  
There was a slight pause before anyone spoke again.  
  
"So, mind telling me what happened?" Hermione asked.  
  
Harry and Ron looked at each other with a blank expression.  
  
"We were hoping you could tell us," Ron replied, looking at the girl.  
  
"I can't remember what happened. All I remember is that I was standing near the lake and I was looking up at the sky when suddenly everything turned black. The next thing I knew, I'm here," Hermione said, recalling what she remembered before she passed out.  
  
"Well, we found you there. I mean you were literally swimming in your own blood, 'Mione. We brought you up to see Madam Pomfrey and she tended to your wounds. You were in a coma for about four days now," Harry said.  
  
Hermione looked at the both of them.  
  
"So what you're trying to say is that we have no clue what-so-ever on who did this to me?" Hermione said slowly, after thinking it over for a few seconds.  
  
"I guess so. I mean we could try and figure out who did this to you after you get out of here. Maybe we can do a bit of short listing or something," Ron suggested.  
  
"I think so. Anyway, how did the both of you know I was awake?" Hermione asked.  
  
"Well. We kinda heard you scream," Harry said.  
  
"What? When?" Hermione asked, sitting straight on the bed.  
  
"We were on our way for Potions when suddenly we heard some distance cry. I dunno, we just thought that you might be in trouble or something. We ran up here and found out you were awake," Ron explained.  
  
"That's strange. I did scream, I think. I just had this weird dream while I was. err. in the coma, I guess. But what's weird was that the fact that there were only voices and sounds. No images," Hermione said.  
  
"That's weird. What happened?" Harry asked and Hermione told them about what she heard.  
  
"Henry and D? Who are they anyway?" Ron asked after Hermione has finish telling them about the dream.  
  
"I've never heard of them before. Maybe it's some kind of a clue or something," Harry suggested.  
  
"Maybe. I think." Hermione trailed off as Madam Pomfrey entered the room.  
  
"I'm sorry boys but it's time for you to go. She needs her rest," the matron said and Harry and Ron nodded their head.  
  
"Thank you, Madam Pomfrey. Bye 'Mione. We'll see you later, alright?" Ron said, as he hugged Hermione.  
  
"Take care and get some rest. Don't worry about the dream so much, okay?" Harry said as he too hugged Hermione.  
  
"Bye guys. Thanks for coming," Hermione said and Harry and Ron left the room.  
  
Outside, Harry and Ron were on their way back to the common room when they realized that they had missed the first half of the Potions class. They were feeling lighter than they had in days.  
  
"Hey Ron. What do you think Hermione dream means?" Harry asked after sometime.  
  
Ron didn't answer straight away.  
  
"To tell you the truth, I have no clue. It's just that I think it might be some kind of a sign or something. Maybe we should wait before we jump into anything we can't get out of," Ron said and Harry nodded.  
  
"I think you're right. C'mon, let's get to the common room. We're dead if any teacher sees us out here," Harry said and both of them walked quickly towards the Gryffindor common room.  
  
~*~  
  
"It seems as if Miss Granger's awake by the look on Mister Potter's and Mister Weasley's faces," Dumbledore said, laughing softly.  
  
The boy who was sitting in front of him kept quiet.  
  
"Well, it is certainly a pleasure having you here," Dumbledore said, turning his attention to the boy.  
  
He smiled brightly.  
  
"It's a pleasure coming here, sir. Though I must apologize for my lateness. There were some. problems that I have to sort out before I could come here," the boy replied.  
  
"It is not a problem at all. You shall be sorted into your house on Thursday. We have to settle some business first before you are allowed to be sorted. I hope you don't mind," Dumbledore said.  
  
"No. Not at all."  
  
~*~  
  
It was a week after Harry and Ron found Hermione, when she was allowed to leave the infirmary. Harry and Ron were already there to greet her after school on Thursday evening to escort her to the Great Hall for dinner.  
  
"I wish Madam Pomfrey would let me go sooner. I've already miss a week of school as it is," Hermione grumbled.  
  
"Quit it, Hermione. She had a good reason to keep you in there as long as she thinks it's necessary. I mean, you were paler than Nearly-Headless Nick! If I were Madam Pomfrey, I'll keep you in there until Monday next week!" Ron said.  
  
"But you're not her. Honestly Ron. I'm beginning to think that maybe you want me to stay in there," Hermione said, pretending to be hurt.  
  
"Don't answer that, Ron. You might regret it later," Harry laughed.  
  
Ron just kept quiet. As they walked along the hallway, the Head Girl began to sob.  
  
"Don't cry, Hermione. I didn't even say anything," Ron said, turning towards Hermione with a surprise face.  
  
"No, it's not that. It's just that. Thank you! Both of you. Especially you, Harry. I'm sorry about what I said earlier. I didn't mean any of it. You have every right to date Jade and you should. Don't pay any attention to what I said earlier," Hermione sobbed. Harry smiled as he reached over to hug her.  
  
"It's alright, 'Mione. It's my fault anyway. I was over reacting. I mean both of you were just looking out for my best interests. Anyway, both of you come first. If both of you don't agree on me dating her than maybe I shouldn't," Harry said, stroking Hermione's hair. Hermione was still sobbing on Harry's shoulder.  
  
"No. You're right. Maybe I was just being negative because she's a Goyle. Maybe she's not as bad as her brother. You should date her, Harry. She seems like a nice girl," Hermione said as she pulled away from Harry. Harry smiled and wiped away the tears, which were dropping from her eyes.  
  
"Are you sure?" he asked.  
  
Hermione nodded.  
  
"Positive. Just be careful," she said.  
  
Harry smiled and nodded.  
  
"Are you two done yet? I'm starving here!" Ron said, hearing his all-so- ever hungry stomach.  
  
Harry and Hermione laughed softly.  
  
"Yeah, Ron. We're through. Let's go," Hermione said, flinging one of her arms around Ron's shoulder.  
  
"Nice of you to be back, 'Mione. We missed you," Ron said, smiling gently and wrapping his arms around Hermione's waist. Harry did the same on the other side.  
  
"Missed you guys too and you have no idea how much," Hermione smiled back and the three of them walked towards the Great Hall together.  
  
~*~  
  
They were in the middle of eating dinner when the figure of Professor McGonagall carrying the all too familiar looking hat came from around the corner and stopped in front of the teachers' table. She placed the hat on a three-legged stool in front of them. Then, Professor Dumbledore stood up. The crowd grew rowdy, curiosity and puzzlement filled the hall.  
  
"May I have your attention for a moment, please?" the old professor said and the noise around the Great Hall reduced.  
  
Harry, Hermione and Ron looked at each other with a questioning look, and then turned towards the headmaster.  
  
"Thank you. As you all can see, the sorting hat has been brought out to our attention once again. It seems as if we have 'misplaced' a student of ours and he has just arrived this morning. I shall not inform all of you as to why he is late. However, I shall allow him to be sorted into his respected house. Professor McGonagall?" Dumbledore addressed the deputy headmistress.  
  
"Well, since we only have one student, I shall call him right away. Damien Hawthorne," she called out.  
  
The clattering of metal hitting glass was heard as half of the female population of Hogwarts dropped their spoon onto their plates while the other half was staring at the newcomer who was walking towards the Transfiguration professor. Even Harry thought that his seeker eyesight was beginning to bail out on him.  
  
'I must be seeing things,' Harry thought as he took off his glasses and wiped the glasses with the hem of his robe.  
  
After putting it back on, the image of the newcomer was still the same as before.  
  
The resemblance was incredible. From the top of his head right down to the shoes he wore. Unbelievable! His platinum blond hair was the exact match of Harry's nemesis, Malfoy, but his eyes were the exact replicas of Harry's own brilliant emerald green eyes. Right down to the 'dancing with laughter with a hint of mischief' bit. The only different was that he wasn't wearing any glasses. Even his physique was a combination of both Malfoy and himself. Pale but glowing skin with a sort of skinny body. As Harry kept gazing at the newcomer, one thought ran through his mind as well as the rest of Hogwarts students: He's the exact combination of Draco Malfoy and Harry Potter!  
  
  
  
Author Note: IT IS DONE!!!! The 13th chapter is finally done. I kinda want to hang the story at the 12th chapter but I just couldn't bare to let you people suffer. But I still put a mini cliffhanger there. Anyway, wouldn't you like to know who Damien is and what part does he hold in this story? Which house is he gonna be sorted into? What's with Hermione's dream? And most important of all, who did it to Hermione? I am sorry to say that you have to wait for 100 days for the next chapter My exam is in 97 days so wish me and by two beta luck. Trust me, WE NEED ALL THE LUCK WE CAN GET OUR HANDS ON. We all are either hanging our stories or taking them out. Hey, at least I'm giving all of you some fair warning here. One last thing. THANK YOU SO MUCH TO THOSE WHO REVIEWED!!!!!!! I love you people. I was shock to see the number when I logged in the other day. I even fell off my chair. Really! Well, not really. I just laughed. I'm sorry I'm not mentioning the names here but you know who you are. KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK! You know I live for reviews. Okay, I gotta stop. It's late and I'm sleepy. And to think I'm writing this story when I could be studying. Anyway, sorry if this chapter is boring to you ppl. Hope you don't run away and forget about me or anything. Well, see ya and wish us luck!!!!!! 


	14. Outing

~*~Dudley goes to Hogwarts~*~

Chapter 14

Outing

It was a beautiful Saturday. The kind when you would be crazy to stay in (except if you're a Slytherin, that is [~sw~: no offence]). And it was early that morning when Harry, Ron and Hermione walked downstairs for what promises to be a very interesting day.

"I never thought that Dumbledore would come up with the idea. I mean, sure they've been around and stuff but I didn't think he'd go out of his way for them," Harry commented, as they walked slowly towards the Great Hall.

"It's not just that, Harry. You've got to notice that the tension around the school had tightened dangerously since the Dark Lord was reborn. I think it's a good idea to have an outing like this. At least the students wouldn't worry so much about the Dark Lord's rejuvenation. Besides, it'd be a good way for 'them' to mingle around with the muggles," Hermione said.

  Both Harry and Ron nodded their head in agreement.

"Mingling around useless Mudbloods like yourself, Granger, isn't exactly what I would call a 'good' idea," drawled a bored voice behind them.

  The three of them turned towards the voice.

"Nobody asked you to come along, Malfoy," Ron spat. 

  Malfoy glared at Ron darkly when he smirked.

"I rather rot in Azkaban than spend a day with you lot. By the way, Weasel, are you sure your family could spare a few Knuts for you to spend? Or did you asked Potter here for some?" Malfoy smirked and Ron nearly jumped onto Malfoy, if Harry and Hermione hadn't grabbed him on time.

  Harry could see that Crabbe and Goyle were not far, ready to attack at Malfoy's slightest command. 

"Forget about him, Ron. He's not worth it. C'mon, let's go," Harry said, as he too glared at Malfoy and his thugs. 

  After a few minutes of tugging Ron away from the laughing Malfoy and his gang, Ron managed to calm himself down.

"I swear, one of these days, he's so gonna get it from me," Ron said darkly and Harry glanced over at Hermione, who sighed. 

  They knew that Ron was looking forward to this trip. It was simply because he wanted to get his dad something nice for Christmas but that stupid git had to ruin it for them.

"Don't let him get to you, Ron. You know that they're going to have one lousy day today," Hermione said and Ron slowly nodded his head.

  They then walked to the Great Hall silently after that.

The announcement for the Outing was made early this week. Nobody could believe that Dumbledore would go out of his way for The Dursleys, especially Harry. He didn't think that Dumbledore would think highly about them at all. Clearly, he was very much mistaken. But, as Hermione pointed out before, there might be some other reason for this trip.

~*Flashback*~

_ "Oi, Harry! Wake up! It's snowing outside!!" Harry vaguely heard Ron calling him from a distance. He groaned, as he pulled his comforter tightly around himself and curled up into a ball. All of a sudden, a pillow hit him at his face seemingly from nowhere. Harry bolted up and looked abound the room, although it was a complete blur, as he wasn't wearing his glasses._

_ "Okay, who did that?!" he yelled, as he reached for his glasses at the side table.  _

_  Everyone in the room laughed as they pointed at each other. Harry narrowed his eyes as he noticed Ron trying to look as angelic as possible but failing miserably._

_ "Ron! I knew all along it was you. I'm gonna kill you!" Harry said, holding the pillow, which was thrown at him, threateningly._

_ "I didn't do it, I swear! Damien did it," Ron protested taking his own pillow as protection while he pointed to Damien._

_  Harry turned over to face Damien, who was currently laughing loudly and fell on his bed, which was to the left of Harry's own bed._

_ "Damien! You should know better than sink to Ron's level. I thought you're more matured than he is," Harry smirked._

_ "Hey!" Ron cried from the other side of the room._

_   The rest of them laughed._

_ "I can't help it. I knew you'd blame Ron so that's why I threw it at you. Besides, I didn't think you'd wake up anytime soon," Damien smiled. _

_ "Fine. Since you all need a leader to lead you down for breakfast, I shall accept the challenge and lead all of you down. I shall be back shortly for all of you in a few minutes," Harry said, mockingly proud._

_ "Yeah right. Anyone can do that. Even our little Neville can do it, can't you?" Dean said, as he flung his left arm over Neville arm. _

_   Neville merely grinned. Harry flashed them one last smile before heading towards the boys' bathroom._

_ After a quick shower and all, Harry was well on his way for breakfast with all the whole Gryffindor seventh -year's Gryffindor boys behind him with Hermione tagging along. She wasn't too shock to see them since they'd been such good friends ever since they'd first entered Hogwarts. They finally reached the Great Hall after planting a little 'surprise' for any Slytherin that might just pass by._

_ "I can't believe you enchanted that armour to cry out 'Slytherins sucks' every time a Slytherin passes by," Hermione said, disapprovingly as they sat at their usual places. _

_  Harry and Ron grinned._

_ "C'mon, Hermione. You have to admit, it is kinda funny!" Ron said, as he began to fill his plate with scramble eggs and toast._

_  Hermione groaned but Harry saw a slight smile playing on her lips. But before he could point that out to Ron, Dumbledore stood up and the hall quiet down._

_ "I have some good news to deliver to all of you this morning though some of you might not think so. As all of you are aware of, Hogwarts have played host to the Dursleys for quite some time but have yet to show our hospitality. After several meetings with some of the professor, we have agreed to host somewhat like a Muggle outing day, as you may call it," he said but had to stop as the students exchanged their thoughts about his announcement._

_   He held up his hand and silence fell once more._

_ "As I was saying, this event will take place this Saturday as there won't be any classes held on that day. Events such as an outing to Paris, France and a movie marathon will be held on that day. For further information, the Head of your respective house will speak to all of you tonight. Thank you for your attention," he ended and then sat down._

_  Harry turned back towards his friends._

_ "Well, this is new," he said._

_ "I know. I wonder what's in store for us," Hermione said as the rest of the other Gryffindors' started to voice out their opinions._

_   She managed to tune them all out and concentrated on finishing her meal._

_~*~_

_ Everyone waited anxiously as Professor McGonagall walked into the Gryffindor common room with a stack of papers in her hand. She then placed the stack of papers on top of a table and turned to face the rest of the Gryffindors. Harry, Ron and Hermione, who were sitting at their usual seat in front of the fireplace, looked at each other with the same puzzled looked on their faces. The common room fell into a deathhly like silence before the professor began to talk._

_ "Well, as all of you were informed this morning, there would be a Muggle Outing Day on Saturday this week," she said, getting straight to the point._

_   She then flicked her wand and the papers, which she was carrying earlier, flew towards the Gryffindors at random. Harry managed to grab one and the three of them looked at the paper. It was a list of events that was to be held on that day._

_ "As you can see on the paper you have just received, it will be a rather busy day. All of the activities are optional for the third year and above except the Movie bit. All the students would be attending that as they will all be sleeping in the Great Hall after the movie is over. As for the other events, it is completely up to you if you want to participate or not. All those who wants to, please give me your names and I will give you the permission slip, which you would have to ask your parents or guardian to sign. Third year and above only, please. The rest may return to your dorms," she continued._

_ "I think we should go," Hermione said, as soon as Professor McGonagall stopped talking._

_ "I think so too. I mean this would be a perfect chance to look for a gift for dad. You know how nuts he is about Muggles' contraptions. Besides, he needs all the laughs he can get. He's been overworked since You-Know-Who's rebirthborn," Ron said._

_ "I don't know. I don't think Snuffles will let me go," Harry sighed._

_ "Well, just signed up your name and then ask him tomorrow. If he says no, then we all won't go," Hermione said and Ron nodded his head. _

_  Harry pondered on the choices he has and finally, he agreed._

_ "Great! I'll go sign our names," Hermione said, as she joined the line._

_   Not many people wanted to go at first but after seeing Dean, Hermione, Ginny, Seamus and Lavender lined up, they'd changed their mind and joined the queue too. A few minutes later, Hermione walked back towards them and handed Harry and Ron their permission slips._

_ "We have to hand these in by Thursday. Snuffles should reply by then," Hermione said, as she sat down at her previous spot._

_   Both Harry and Ron nodded their heads. Hermione then grabbed the paper from Harry and read through it._

_ "Hey, look at this. We're having lunch in Paris, France plus a few hours of sightseeing on our own. No wonder Lav signed up. And look, we're going to Disneyland in Florida after that. Boy, Dumbledore sure know how to pick places," Hermione pointed out._

_ "Yeah. And there'll be a 'snowball war' after we get back. It says, 'All four houses against each other.' This should be fun," Ron said._

_ "What movie are they showing 'Mione?" Harry asked the Head Girl._

_ "Romeo must die. Hey, I like that one. The last time I watched it was with my friends. It's great. A little bit of each," Hermione said._

_ "I saw that one too. I think it'll please everyone. Great choice of movie," Harry said, as he nodded his head._

_ "Well, let's go write to Snuffles. There's still time," Ron suggested and Harry nodded._

_   The three of them then left the common room soon after that._

~*End of Flashback~*

And that was that. Harry almost fell off his chair when he got a reply letter from his Godfather telling him it was okay for him to go the very next day. Beaming at his friends, he submitted his permission letter along with Ron and Hermione, who had gotten back theirs on the same day that Harry received his.

  And now, they were waiting in the Great Hall for the Head of each house to give out the instructions. While waiting, Harry managed to glance around the Great Hall, where all students who can go, were suppose to wait. Most of the third year and above for Gryffindor was there, half of the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff and, not surprisingly, none of the Slytherin was there.

'At least I don't have to see that slimy git's face until I get back,' Harry thought to himself. 

   Soon after that, the Head of Gryffindor, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff came into the Great Hall along with a few other professors. Harry smiled when he saw Lupin and Dumbledore were among them.

"I am touched that at least some of you think this is the perfect opportunity for you to 'let loose'. Well, since all of you are capable of taking care of your own safety, we have agreed to let you wonder off on your own. Besides, I don't think anyone of you would want to be seen with anyone of us," Dumbledore said, his eyes twinkled brightly, as he said so. 

  A few of them laughed. 

  "You will have lunch when you see fit and go wherever you want to go. But I'm giving all of you fair warning. Be back at the portkey centre _ten minutes_ before it's your turn to be ported to Disneyland. Any students who fail to do so will loose 20 points each from their house marks."

  There was a nodding of heads throughout the crowd.

"If anyone of you gets lost or in need of aid from the Professors, just perform any basic spells with your wand. The professors will detect the usage of magic and the closest professor will be there instantly. But remember; do NOT let any muggle catch you performing the spell. You will be in a major problem if that does happen. Finally, I hope that you will enjoy yourselves and stay safe," Dumbledore said with a smile. 

   All the students present there cheered. Then the Head of each house asked them to get into groups of four so that they can be transported to Paris.

"Groups of four? We only have three people in our group," Ron said.

"Mind if I tag along?" said a familiar voice from behind them.

  It was Lupin.

"Sure Professor. We'd be honoured," Hermione smiled at the Defence Against Dark Arts professor.

  The four of them then lined up and waited their turn to be ported while having small talks.

"So, have you heard from Snuffles lately?" Lupin asked quietly.

"I wrote to him about this outing to ask his permission and all. He said it was okay but didn't elaborate on it. He didn't write much the other day. Probably have something up his sleeve," Harry said and Lupin nodded his head.

"I haven't been in contact with him in a few weeks now but I was surprise he'd let you go for this outing. You know, him being the overprotective 'father' and all," Lupin pointed out and Harry nodded his head.

"Yeah, I know what you mean. I nearly fell off my chair when I received the owl from him the very next day. I do think that Marauder hasve something up his sleeve," Harry said.

  He then glanced over at Ron and Hermione, who were chatting softly beside him. Hermione looked up from their conversation and smiled at Harry. He returned the gesture.

"By the way, I heard that your quarters is near Mr. and Mrs. Dursley's room, right? How are they treating you?" Harry smiled mischievously at the professor.

   Lupin paled slightly.

"I wish I didn't get the room next to theirs. Honestly, it's a nightmare! That Mrs. Dursley snooped around us professors as is we were a bunch of criminals. And the Mister… Oh God, Harry, I have no idea how you managed to live with those kind of people all your life. I've barely known them for two months and I can't stand them!" Lupin whispered to Harry, who laughed at his remarks.

"Now you know how I felt for the past 17 years," Harry said. 

  Their conversation was cut short when it was their turn to be transported.

"Remember, Potter. 10 minutes before it's your turn to be transported to Florida," said the Head of Gryffindor, as she passed the portkey and smiled knowingly.

  Harry smiled and nodded his head. All four of them held onto the portkey and seconds later, Harry felt that all too familiar sensation of being transported.

After a while, the four of them landed well on their feet in what seems to be an old abandon warehouse. Surprisingly, Professor Snape was standing guard there, glaring at Harry worst than ever.

"Get out of the way, Potter. The others will be arriving in a few seconds!" he barked and Harry, Ron, Hermione and Professor Lupin walked out of the warehouse.

"You, Severus, had better watch your mouth around young Harry or you wish you'd never been born," Lupin whispered under his breath.

  Snape just snorted at his remark. Harry, who didn't hear what Lupin had said to Snape, walked out of the warehouse along with Ron and Hermione only to find a familiar looking black dog sitting beside the door.

"Snuffles!" Harry cried, as he hugged the black dog. Lupin, who just walked out of the warehouse, smiled as he saw the sight of Harry and Snuffles.

"You were right, Harry. There was something up this particular Marauder's sleeves," Lupin said, patting the dog's head.

   Snuffles barked a few times.

"Well, it's only eleven o'clock. What do you want to do now?" Hermione asked.

"Well, I hear the view up at the Eiffel Tower is fantastic. Should we try going there?" Lupin suggested, knowing very well that Hermione's been longing to go there.

  She just didn't want to say anything about it. He was right since the Head Girl nodded eagerly. After a while, both Harry and Ron agreed reluctantly.

"Well then, Eiffel Tower it is. Come on, I think we better get us a taxi," Lupin said.

"Hey, when did Lupin change his robes? You too Ron," Harry asked, as he just noticed that Lupin and Ron weren't wearing the robe they came with. 

  Ron looked down at his clothes. He was wearing a pair of black jeans and a white t-shirt. Similar to Harry and Hermione, though Harry was wearing a dark green t-shirt and black jeans while Hermione was wearing a white t-shirt with a white jacket and a pair of white jeans. Lupin too was wearing a black t-shirt with a red shirt unbuttoned over it, unbutton and dark navy blue jeans.

"I guess they changed it when we were transported so both of you could blend in," Hermione said. 

  Snuffles, which were who was sitting beside Harry, barked at them. Harry smiled at him and petted his head. Lupin then called them over after he had found them an empty cab.

The ride to the Eiffel Tower was uneventful. Harry wanted so much to talk to his Godfather but he knew Sirius couldn't change form just yet so he had no choice but to wait until they find a safe spot for him to change. Until then, Harry had to keep down all the things he wanted to tell Sirius down.

Soon enough, they've arrived at their destination. After waiting in a long line, they finally managed to get to the top of the well-known tower. Hermione was busy taking pictures of all of them when something caught Harry's eye.

"Hey, what's Malfoy doing here? With Lucius too?" Harry asked out loud and all of them turned around. Sure enough, Draco was there, talking to his father quietly, ignoring the people around them. Harry walked nearer towards them and then stopped dead in his tracks.

Beside Draco, her hand in his was Jade.

~*~

A/N: Sorry it took so long folks. It's 2.05 a.m. and I'm supposed to be studying but I can't. Brain's jammed. Anyway, I don't know how you like this chapter. Sorry it's shorter than average. Totally pointless if you ask me. Well, except for the last part. Please Review anyway.

A/N 2: I haven't said my thanks in awhile so here goes:

Thanks to- 

~ Flamer ~ I don't feel like logging in ~ f0xyness39 ~ harry_fan ~ tickle the dragon ~ Catherine ~ Soft Red Industries ~ Lady Foeseeker ~ Mya Avalon ~ **Vegeta Jr.** ~ Meeow ~ Belle ~ **Kit Cloudkicker** ~ DreamingReader~ Just another writer ~ liliaeth ~ fyre eye ~ edge ~ bodie ~ Phoenix Argent ~ *~*PRONGZ*~* ~ Lauren ~ Callie/Mikey ~ deep_fried_chicken_wings ~ Dawn Bridges ~ lil'dudette ~ arcee ~ Avaloniathewise ~ Midnight Lady ~

L.McGonagall ~ adj ~ 

**…** = love ya! Thanks for your great review!

Kimbra- you didn't review one chapter… I thought you bail out on me. I was so sad!! Anyway, nice seeing your name there on the next chapter…

Tabi- mean of me to forget about you. Another one of my reviewer that I adore. Thanks for your review gurl!

And finally …

Snowwolf- Wei, good luck for your SPM. I haven't seen you in awhile. I'll be around later on during the SPM week. Study hard, ya!

A/N 3: this story will soon be collaboration between snowwolf and me. After all, she did come up with the final scene. I swear, even I didn't think of that. This woman is a genius I tell ya. Well, I'm about to fall asleep so I'll see ya in a few weeks. Thanks to those who reviewed and those who haven't, please do. I'll be waiting!!!


	15. Jade

This chapter is dedicated to Cristalfairy. Hope you get plenty of rest and take care of yourself! 

Disclaimer: Nothing, except the plot and Jade of course, is mine so please don't sue… 

~*~Dudley goes to Hogwarts~*~ 

Chapter 15 

Jade 

  Hermione looked worriedly from Harry to Remus then back to Harry and sighed softly. They were in one of the outdoor restaurant in Paris; currently waiting for the orders they had placed a while ago. Since they had saw Draco Malfoy hand in hand with Jade, Harry had gone into statue mode and was staring at his shoes as if it was the most fascinating thing in the world. Remus, not knowing what to do anymore, ran his fingers through his hair and leaned back against the chair he was sitting on. 

  "Harry?" Hermione said timidly but the Gryffindor seeker didn't even look up.

  Hermione frowned at her failed attempted to make Harry aware of his surrounding. Snuffles, who were sitting in between Remus and Harry at the time, nuzzled his head against Harry's arm, hoping to get some sort of a reaction from him but Harry still wouldn't budge an inch.

  "C'mon, Harry. I'm sure she was just trying to jinx him up close or something. She wouldn't choose that Malfoy over you," Ron said, leaning forward towards Harry, who was across the table. 

  "Ron's right, Harry. Just try to forget about what happened today and enjoy what's to come. She's just another girl, Harry," Remus said and Hermione nodded her head slowly. 

  "Professor Lupin's right, Harry. There must be some other girl you've got your eyes on, other than her," Hermione said but Harry still refused to acknowledge them. 

  Just then, after feeling that all attempts of snapping Harry back to reality were completely useless for the time being, Remus stood up. 

  "Why don't you all keep Harry accompanied for awhile? I have some things to do. I'll be right back. C'mon, Snuffles," Remus said, before he smiled at the three of them and walked away with Snuffles trotting beside him.  

  Ron sighed heavily as Remus left.  

  "Harry, snap out of it. I'm sure she has a very good explanation," Ron said again. 

  "For once Harry, Ron might be right. Maybe what I said about her earlier isn't true at all. She is a fellow Gryffindor anyway. She might have something up her sleeves," Hermione said as she squeezed Harry's shoulder lightly. 

  And Harry, being the stubborn Gryffindor that he was, kept ignoring their comments about what they thought Jade might have been up to. After awhile, Ron looked up and his eyes went wide. 

  "What's wrong with you?" Hermione asked when she saw Ron's sudden reaction. 

  "That git surely picked the right time to make things more complicated than it is," Ron frowned but before Hermione could ask him what he meant, somebody spoke from behind her. 

  "Well, well. What do we have here? Potty, Weasel and the little Mudblood. What a sight to behold," a drawling voice said and Hermione turned around, although she already knew whom it was. 

  "What are you doing here Malfoy? I thought you were too 'cool' to hang around people like us," Hermione asked venomously. 

  "I didn't want to but _Jade_ here persuaded me. You know Jade, don't you?" Malfoy smirked, lifting his intertwined fingers with Jade. 

  "C'mon Drake, let's get out of here," Jade mumbled as she blush lightly and tried to pull Malfoy away from the crowd. 

  "What's wrong Jade? Scared that people would think you betrayed your housemates?" Ron said hotly. 

  "Shut up, weasel," Malfoy snapped. 

  "What's the matter, Malfoy? Worried that I'll make your little girlfriend here cry? I'm not sure that she will though since I don't really think she's capable of any feelings," Ron said, getting up from his seat. 

  Hermione, instead of pulling Ron away from Malfoy, stood up and stood by Ron. 

  "Why should she cry, Weasel? After all, she is a _Gryffindor_. Oh look, a Gryffindor. Dating a _Slytherin_," Malfoy pointed out just to annoy Ron. 

  "Well, if you're trying to imply that a Gryffindor is not worthy to date a Slytherin, you're wrong. You actually got it backwards since it's the _Slytherin_ who is the one not worthy to date a _Gryffindor_," Harry said without turning around to face Malfoy and Jade. 

  Ron and Hermione just looked at each other, as Malfoy suddenly turned scarlet out of anger. 

  "C'mon Drake, let's go," Jade said and Malfoy just let her pull him away. 

  "Look everyone, Malfoy actually need a girl to pull him out of a fight," Ron teased as the two of them walked away from the three and Ron laughed. 

  "Good going, Harry. I don't think he'll be messing around with us as much," Ron said after Malfoy and Jade's silhouette were out of sight. 

  Both Ron and Hermione then sat down again. 

  "So, are you okay now?" Hermione asked cautiously. 

  For a while, Harry went back into his statue mode, which made Ron and Hermione shifted in their seat uncomfortably. A few seconds later, Harry looked up at the both of them and gave them a small smile. 

  "Don't worry about it. I'll be fine," he said with another smile that didn't reach his eyes. 

  "Are you sure? I mean if you want to talk about it…" Hermione said. 

  "I'm fine, Herm. Don't worry about it. I'm a big boy," Harry said again. 

  "That's great! Hey Harry, while you were in your statue mode just now, I saw this one girl. She's really something mate! Too bad she's not in the same school as we are," Ron beamed. 

  "Yeah, too bad. Hey Ron, have you thought about what to get for your father yet? I mean, we really don't have that much time here," Harry asked. 

  "No, not really. Why? Do you have anything in mind?" Ron asked him back. 

  "Well, since your dad love to take things apart, I figured why don't you get him a tool box or something. He'll have a blast taking things apart with that," Harry suggested and Ron nodded his head slowly. 

  As the two boys continued to talk amongst each other, Hermione had the chance to study Harry's behaviour. Hermione just frowned to herself as she spotted something fake among the genuine. Harry was a good actor but Hermione's a good observer. Almost nothing gets pass her. The 'Jade' thing was eating him alive, she could see, but he was too much of a Gryffindor to admit it. 

  "Herm, are you coming with us?" Ron asked and Hermione snapped back to reality. 

  "I'm sorry. I was thinking about something else. What did you say you were going?" Hermione smiled sheepishly. 

   "I said, would you like to join us do some Christmas shopping? Harry gave me some great ideas on what to give my dad and we're gonna go check it out," Ron said as he looked at Hermione with a puzzled look. 

  "Isn't it a bit early for Christmas shopping? I mean it's not for another month," Hermione asked. 

  "Yeah but I don't think I'll ever gonna get another chance to come here again," Ron pointed out. 

  "Well, in that case, sure, why not?" Hermione smiled. 

  "Great! Hey look. Here comes Lupin and Snuffles," Ron said, making all their attention towards the two. 

  "Where have you been?" Harry asked. 

  "Oh, around. Nice to see you're not posing as a statue anymore, Harry," Lupin said. 

  He then took a seat beside Harry like he did before and placed a few plastic bags beside him. Snuffles barked happily. Harry just grinned, patting Snuffles. 

  "So, what's in the bags?" Harry asked again, now scratching Snuffle behind the ear. 

  "Something you'll find out in a few months time. Until then, no peaking in the bag," Lupin warned and Harry pretended to pout. 

  Lupin rolled his eyes in returned.

  "Hey Harry, I've been meaning to ask you something. Have you thought about where you're staying after you graduate? I don't think you wanna live with those…err… relative of yours anymore," Ron asked as the waiter finally served their orders. 

  "Do you mean to tell me that only now they're serving you guys? I mean we left and came back…" said Remus when the waiter had left, patting Snuffles on the head.

  "Yeah, sad isn't it? I wonder if they even killed the chicken enough?" said Ron, as he was poking the poultry on his plate.     

  "Actually, now that you've mention it, I have no clue. I really don't wanna spend my parents' money just to get myself a place. I really don't know," Harry interrupted as he began to cut his steak. 

  "Oh yeah, I almost forgot. Luckily Ron actually brought the matter up. Sirius and I have been discussing about it and we kind of have a place in mind. That is, if you want to, of course," Lupin said, feeding Snuffles his food by dropping it into the dog's open mouth. 

  "Sure, if I can afford it that is," Harry replied, feeding the hungry black dog too. 

  "I'm sure you will. You see, your parents used to live in Godric's Hollow ever since even before you were born. Though the place is a little… erm… messed up but it belongs to your family. If you like, we could 'fix' it up for you so you could move there after you graduate," Lupin said and Harry's face brightens up. 

  "Really? That would be great! I've completely forgotten about the place. But are you sure you won't mind fixing it?" Harry asked eagerly. 

  "I'm sure it won't be a problem," Lupin smiled at the sudden change in Harry's mood.

  "Thanks Remus!" Harry exclaimed happily. 

  Snuffles then barked and Harry beamed at him too. 

  "You too Sirius," Harry said, though softer, to the black dog beside him as he patted Snuffles' head. 

  "Well, that's settled. Eat up everyone. We have a big day ahead of us," Lupin said and they continued eating with occasional verbal exchange among them. 

~*~ 

  Harry was in hell. He was literally using up all of his energy just to maintain the façade that was on display so that not one of them could see through it. He knew they would fuss over him if they knew what was eating him alive. All of them were in a store somewhere in Paris' well-known city area where Hermione was helping Ron choose something for his father. Ron kept shaking his head as Hermione showed something too girly to buy while he himself browsed through what was on display. 

  "C'mon Harry, let's sit down outside while we wait for them to finish arguing about what to buy," Lupin suggested and Harry just nodded his head. 

  Lupin then led the both of them, not forgetting Snuffles, to one of the benches under a tree. The both of them then sat side by side with Snuffles resting his head on Harry's lap. 

  "Spill," Lupin said simply and Harry looked confused. 

  "I have no idea what you're talking about," Harry said before he turned away. 

  His hand unconsciously playing with Snuffles fur. 

  "I know about the Malfoy and Jade incident while we weren't there earlier today. Sirius and I bumped into them on our way back to the table. Malfoy was mad at you for some reason that I don't want to know. Harry, I knew your dad for a long time and I've known you long enough to know that you're his son. So, even though you act like it's not bothering you, you're actually dying inside. Why don't you just talk about it? It will help," Lupin said. 

  Harry just kept quiet as he ponders on his options. 

  "I… I can't. I'm sorry but I just can't. Please don't push because I can handle this myself. I will tell you when I'm ready but until then, I just can't," Harry said sadly and Snuffles looked up at the both of them. 

  Lupin placed a hand on Harry's shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. 

  "I'm sorry but I'm just worried about you. Well, when you're ready to talk, you do know that you can come to me, right? Until then, I won't push," Lupin said and Harry nodded his head. 

  "Do you mind if I take a walk. There is this park nearby and I promise it won't take long. I just need to clear my head," Harry said as he looked up.  

  Lupin thought it over for a while and then nodded his head. 

  "We'll come look for you when we're ready to go. Don't go too deep into the park or we wouldn't be able to find you," Lupin said as the both of them stood up. 

  Harry then made his way to the park. Snuffles, who was standing beside Harry, barked a few times. 

  "No, you stay here with me. I'm sure Harry can take care of himself," Lupin said as he pulled back on Snuffles' collar. 

  Sirius yelped a little at the tug but stayed. He barked a few times at Harry, as if he was warning Harry to be careful. Harry smiled at the two before leaving the two. 

  Since it was noon at that time, there weren't many people in the park. Harry inhaled deeply as he walked around the park, trying to clear his mind. Whatever happened, he was sure they have their own purpose. There was no use thinking about it. After awhile of walking, Harry finally sat on a bench under an old oak tree. 

  "Hey Harry," a soft voice said from behind him and Harry turned towards the voice. 

  "Oh, it's you. What are you doing here?" Harry asked her and Jade smiled softly at him. 

  "Do you mind if I sit down?" she asked and Harry scooted to one side of the bench. 

  Jade sat down beside him, thanking him softly. 

  "Where's Malfoy? I thought you were-" 

  "With him?" Jade finished his sentence for him and Harry nodded his head slowly. "Is dating a Slytherin really that bad?" 

  "It is if he's a Malfoy," Harry replied. 

  "Harry, I'm sorry if you have some sort of dislike him but you really shouldn't assume such things. He really is a nice guy once you get to know him," Jade said and Harry snorted softly. 

  Jade smiled at him. 

  "Why did you choose him? I mean there are lots of other guys. Why Malfoy?" Harry asked after a slight pause. 

  "Why Draco and not you, you mean?" Jade asked him back and Harry blushed lightly. "Harry, I've known Draco almost my entire life. You know, him being a Malfoy and me being a Goyle. He's almost like my brother. Harry, he's not my boyfriend." 

  "But back there. In the restaurant…" Harry stammered. 

  "I didn't say he was my boyfriend. He said I was his girlfriend. He was just kidding around. Really Harry, just give him another chance. Sometimes people aren't what they seem, you know," Jade said. 

  "Yeah right. Like I would ever cut that guy some slack. He might be nice to you but when it comes to me and the other Gryffindors, it's a whole new ball game," Harry laughed. 

  "Well, you may be right but if you're ever given a chance to see the other side of him, just don't throw that chance away, okay? Try to remember that there are always two sides to everyone," Jade said and Harry nodded his head slowly. 

  He was just about to start a new conversation topic when somebody called out his name from behind him. 

  "Harry!! Harry, c'mon! We've got to get out of here!" Ron cried from behind. 

  Harry stood up and turned towards him. Ron, Hermione, and Lupin as well as Snuffles were running towards him, Lupin's wand was out. 

  "Ron, what's wrong? What happened?" Harry asked as a panting Ron pulled his hand as soon as he reached him. 

  "We have to get out of here. A Death Eater's been spotted and it's coming right for you. Dumbledore had been sending out messages ages ago so that everyone report back to Hogwarts!" Ron explained. 

  Jade, who was standing beside Harry, gasped and Ron narrowed his eyes at her. 

  "Where are they heading?" Harry asked as he started to panic. 

  "To the old abandon warehouse. The transporter centre. Some of them are headed here too so we really need to leave this place," Hermione replied as she too began to push Harry towards Lupin. 

  "But the transporter centre is miles away. We wouldn't get there in time," Harry said as he began to run towards Lupin and Sirius with Ron, Hermione and Jade. 

  "We have no other choice. That's why we have to hurry," Hermione said again. 

  Then, the six of them started to find themselves a taxi so that they could get there faster. 

  "How did they know we're here? I mean how they know where Harry was?" Hermione asked after the six of them finally managed to squeeze together into a taxi. 

  Harry, who sat in between Jade and Ron, saw the glares Ron was throwing at Jade's direction and nudge Ron's sides. Lupin had taken the front while Hermione and Snuffles took seats opposite the 'trio'.

  "Well, there's lots of ways but we can't just point fingers at anyone. There is a possibility that's just a coincident," Lupin said. 

  "This is no coincident, Professor. Nobody could point the exact location where the transporter centre is or even where Harry is at the time. This has to be an inside work," Hermione said and Ron nodded. 

  "Like I said before, we can't just point fingers at anyone. Let's just wait until we get back and hear what Dumbledore has to say," Lupin replied. 

  After that, nobody said another word until Lupin told the taxi driver to stop one block before the centre. 

  "Stay close, all of you. We don't know exactly if the Death Eaters have arrived or not," Lupin said after all of them had gotten off the taxi.

  After making sure that all of them were huddled close together and after he made sure nobody was around, he conjured a shield around them. 

  "If anything should happened, all of you are to head straight to the site and grab the portkey. Don't look back, just go," Lupin instructed. 

  "What about you?" Harry asked. 

  "Don't worry about me. I know how to take care of myself. And you," Lupin said to Snuffles. "Don't change no matter what and stay with Harry at all cost." Snuffles gave a soft bark. "Okay, everybody ready? Wands out and let's go." 

  As each of them pulled out their wands from their pockets, Lupin led them towards the warehouse slowly, occasionally hiding behind buildings or dumpsters. Finally, when the door to the centre was in sight, Lupin turned towards them. 

  "The cost is clear. Now, remember what I said, just grab the portkey and forget about the rest. I scanned the site for any other Hogwarts students and I found none so you can just go ahead with the plan. I'm going to break down the shield so it wouldn't hold any one of you back. Stay close to each other and stay safe. When I count to three, all of you make a run for it, okay? One, two, three go!" Lupin said. 

  As soon as he said three, the shield went down and the six of them broke into a run and headed straight towards the corner of the room where they were transported to earlier. Almost instantly, about twenty Death Eaters ambushed them from all corners of the room. 

  "Use the stunning spell and just try to get to the portkey!" Lupin instructed. 

  The four Hogwarts student just nodded their heads and soon after, stunning spell was flying across the room. 

  "C'mon Harry! We're almost there!!" Hermione yelled as she cast the stunning spell towards another Death Eater who was attacking her from her right. 

  "Jade, are you okay?" Harry yelled.

  He threw a punch at a Death Eater that was trying to grab his wand. 

  "I'm fine. Don't worry about me, just get that Portkey!" Jade yelled back. 

  Snuffles, who were by Harry side, bit down on one guy's leg and Harry punched him square in the face. 

  "C'mon, the portkey is right over there!" Ron cried and the famous trio finally managed to fight their way towards the corner of the room. 

  "Is everyone here?" Hermione asked. 

  "Yeah, yeah! Let's just go!" Ron cried as he picked up the portkey, which was an old football. 

  "Wait! Where's Jade?" Harry asked, looking frantically around them. 

  "Ahhh!!!!!!!!" a voice screamed from behind them and Harry turned around almost instantly. 

  "Jade! Let her go!!" Harry cried as he saw Jade being captured by one of the Death Eaters. 

  "Wands down or the girl gets it!" the Death Eater, that was grabbing Jade's wrist, yelled. 

  "No, don't listen to him! Just get out of here! Ahh!!" Jade cried as the Death Eater twisted her arm harder. 

  "Jade! Let her go!!" Harry yelled and he attempted to lunge towards the Death Eater but Ron pulled him back. 

  "Harry, are you crazy?! That guy will kill ya!" Ron said as he pulled Harry back. 

  "He won't. Voldemort doesn't want me dead! Let me go!" Harry yelled but Hermione was helping Ron restraining him. 

  "Harry, please. Be reasonable! We have to get out of here before the others do something to Lupin!" Hermione said. 

  "The portkey doesn't work with only three person touching it! Snuffles don't count!! And what do you plan to do about her?" Harry snapped. 

  "Snuffles does count! Let's just go. She can handle this by herself," Ron yelled as he tugged Harry's arm harder. 

  "Shut up, all of you! Wands down or else she's dead!" the Death Eater threatened them again. 

  "Don't listen to them! Grab the portkey and get out of here before they get through Professor Lupin. I can handle this guy!!" Jade said again but the Death Eater pointed his wand at her neck. 

  "Jade, hang on. Ron, Hermione, let go of me!! I have to save her!" Harry cried. 

  "Harry, what are you doing? Get out of here!" Lupin cried as he punched another Death Eater. 

  Snuffles was pulling the hem of Harry's robes, along with Ron and Hermione who was pulling both of Harry's arms. 

  "Harry, listen to me. You have to get out of here and save yourself! Which do you prefer? Save me and kill all of us or sacrifice me and save everyone?! Harry, use your head! If you die, everyone in the wizarding world dies. You will wipe away their hope!" Jade yelled. 

  "No, I can do it. LET ME GO!!!" Harry yelled. 

  All of a sudden, there was a strong gush of wind that nearly blew them away and before they knew what was going on, Harry's bangs were blown back followed by a blinding flash of bright green light. 

  "What's going on? What's happening?" Ron yelled. 

  "I don't know. Harry, are you okay?" Hermione yelled back but Harry didn't reply. 

  "Hermione! Ron! Get Harry out of here while they can't see you! Try to feel around for the portkey!! It's not that far away from you!" they heard Lupin yelled from one side of the room. Ron let go of Harry's arm and felt around for the portkey on the floor. After a few moments, the light died down. 

  "Whoa, what happened?" Ron said softly as he looked around the room. 

  Every single Death Eater that was in the building was face down on the cold hard floor. 

  "Is everyone alright?" Lupin asked as he got up to his feet and walked towards Ron. 

  "I'm fine," Ron said as he allowed Lupin to help him up. 

  "Hermione?" Lupin asked the witch. 

  "Professor, help. Harry's unconscious," Hermione said. 

  Both Ron and Lupin turned around to see Harry's head rested on top of Hermione's lap, as Hermione said, unconscious. Snuffles were nuzzling Harry's head trying to wake the Gryffindor up. 

  "Oh dear God. What happened, Hermione?" Lupin asked as he rushed towards the both of them. 

  "I don't know. I was gripping his left arm when that bright light hit us and then, after it died down, Harry just collapsed," Hermione said and soon started crying while stroking Harry's black hair. 

  "Where's Jade?" asked Remus softly after he made a head count.

  "Professor, look at his scar," Ron said suddenly. Harry's scar, which was normally just another scar, was glowing with a sort of golden light. 

  "We need to get him to Dumbledore. Immediately! This is something way beyond me," Lupin said softly as he lifted the unconscious Harry up into his arms. 

A/N: Hellooo!!!!!!! Another chapter up. Sorry it took longer than expected. Well, the good news is that I'll have time to write now since my beta and I are out of school. But the bad news is that I'm now juggling two stories so it could take awhile. BTW, I kinda made a mistake before that affected the whole story but I fixed it (I hope). To straighten stuff out, I just wanna tell you that it's actually November already. About the first Quidditch match, I'll put it up after Christmas. Sorry 'bout that!!! Oh yeah, my new story is up so go read it and review. A bit of warning though. It's not exactly straight. HP/DM mind you so if you don't like slash stuff, I'd advice you not to read it. If you have no problem on the slashing bit, I'm asking you to go read it. Finally, Merry belated Christmas to those who celebrate it and Happy New Year!!!!!!!  (sw: A Happy New Year to all too!) 

A/N 2: For those of you who want me to tell them when the story's updated, leave your e-mail address in your review. 


	16. Hermione's Ordeal

A/N: More A/N at the end of this chapter.

Disclaimer: Nothing here belongs to me so forget about suing.

~*~Dudley goes to Hogwarts~*~ 

Chapter 16 

Hermione's ordeal 

  It was in an empty, dimly lit room. Nothing and no one was there except for a throne and two figures, one sitting down on the throne whilst the other one, a hooded figure, stood in front of the figure on the throne, motionless. Voldemort just stared at the hooded figure, examining him from where he stood, waiting for his messenger to come back from his 'task'. Then, after a short period of time, another hooded figure came in, bowing his head low. 

  "What news do you bring?" the Dark Lord spoke although his eyes never left the hooded figure that was there before. 

  "He was telling the truth, your evilness. The transporter centre was where as he had told us it would be," the messenger said, his head still bowed low. The Dark Lord didn't reply. Nagini, who was at her master's feet a moment ago, slithered towards the motionless figure slowly then she began to wrapped her body around both of the figure's feet loosely. 

  "Did you manage to capture the boy?" Voldemort asked suddenly, an evil smile played on his lips as he watched his serpent's every movement. 

  "No, my Lord. We are not sure what had happened there but when some of the Death Eaters went back to where the centre was, all of the Death Eaters that was sent there before were dead. None of them survived to inform us about what had happened," the messenger replied and the Dark Lord's eyes flashed. 

  "What do you mean you don't know what happened?!" Voldemort exclaimed. 

  "None of the Death Eaters left any marks on them in order for us to pin point what kind of curse were used against them," the messenger said again, his voice beginning to tremble. 

  "He's only a mere child! There's only so much curse he could throw at them! Find out what it is or you are the one who's going to be dead!!" Voldemort yelled. 

  "Yes, my lord," he replied before bowing his head again and darted out of the room. Voldemort leaned back against his chair as his eyes darted back to the other hooded figure that was waiting for him. 

  "You were telling the truth," he said simply and the figure bowed again. 

  "Always, my lord," the figure replied and Voldemort nodded his head slowly. Then, in parseltongue, he told Nagini to leave the figure alone. Reluctantly, the serpent slithered towards its master. 

  "I thought you were quite fond of the boy," the Dark Lord smirked. 

  "No, my lord. Never," the figure said. Voldemort studied the figure in front of him again and soon after, he stood up in one quick motion and walked towards the figure. 

  "Gryffindor? Explain," Voldemort asked simply. 

  "A mere cover, my lord. I will gain their trust this way," the figure answered and Voldemort nodded his head again. 

  "Very well. I am not going to tell the other Death Eaters about you yet. You still have to prove your loyalty to me. Now leave," Voldemort said after walking around the figure a couple of times and then walked back towards his throne. 

  "As you wish, my lord," the figure bowed one final time before walking out of the gloomy room. Nagini then hissed softly at her master. 

  "Yes, Nagini. This person will be my latest weapon against the boy. He won't know what hit him," Voldemort said and laughed evilly to no one in particular. 

~*~ 

  Lupin sighed softly to himself as he looked out the window. It was getting dark and, although it was still snowing heavily, he could see countless owls flying towards Hogwarts, each of them bearing some sort of warning from worried parents. Beside him, sitting on one of the only chairs in the room, Snuffles stood still, staring at the motionless figure on the bed, worried about what might happen to him. 

  "What's wrong with him?" Lupin asked without turning around to face the rest of them. Hermione, who had been sobbing softly against Ron's shoulder since Harry had fallen unconscious in the warehouse, looked up at the matron. Her eyes were swollen. The four of them (Lupin, Snuffles, Ron and Hermione) had just entered the room after Madam Pomfrey had told them it was okay to do so. 

  "I'm not sure, Remus. To tell you the truth, he's perfectly healthy but he's not responding to anything I do. It's like he's in a deep sleep," Madam Pomfrey said sadly as she gazed at Harry. 

  "Has Dumbledore been informed about this?" Lupin asked again after a short pause. 

  "Yes. He came in here through the other entrance before I allowed the four of you to see him. He then just rushed back to his office. He said something about the Dark Lord," Madam Pomfrey said. She too stood motionless at one corner of the room. All of a sudden, Hermione gasped lightly. 

  "Hermione, what is it?" Ron asked as he looked at the witch. Hermione, instead of answering Ron, stood up and brushed her tears away. Even Lupin and Snuffles gave her a worried look. 

  "I have to go. Please keep me posted on what's going on, okay Ron?" she said and Ron just nodded her head. After giving all of them a weak smile, she walked out of the room quickly. 

  _'Why didn't I see it before? It was so obvious!'_ Hermione said to herself as she practically ran towards the study room she was sharing with Malfoy. 

  "Good evening, dear," said the lady in the golden dress in a soft voice. Hermione gave her a small smile. 

  "Good evening. Is Malfoy in there?" Hermione asked and the Lady nodded her head. 

  "Yes, Mister Malfoy is in there. He's been there since this afternoon. Mind you, his in one of his moods again," the Lady answered. 

  "Isn't he always? Anyway, thank you. Honey," Hermione said and the Lady nodded once more before swinging the door open. As Hermione stepped in, she saw Malfoy in his armchair in front of the fireplace, reading the diary Hermione had found earlier. 

  "Did you find anything?" Hermione asked him, not bothering to greet the Slytherin before hand. Malfoy didn't look up. 

  "Nothing much but the man's most private thoughts," Malfoy replied in a bored tone. 

  "Anything in there about the prophecy?" Hermione asked again as she sat in her own armchair. 

  "If there is, why would I say the thing I've said earlier?" Malfoy smirked. He was somewhat amused of her clueless state. But the Head Girl wasn't in any mood for games. 

  "Look, Malfoy. I know you don't like working with me and god knows how I despise working with you. But I have no choice or control. I was given this opportunity to become the Head Girl by the school and just because Snape thinks you're the most foul thing that's walking on two feet on the surface of this planet, you were chosen to become the Head boy and thus, my partner. I worked hard to get here and even though you think I don't deserve this, there are other people who think I am worthy of this responsibility. And I've accepted it. I've accepted the responsibility because I want to contribute something to the school. And if you don't feel like doing it then… go jump off the astronomy tower," Hermione yelled as she grab the diary Malfoy was reading. Malfoy then looked up at the angry Gryffindor and smirked. 

  "My, my. Since when do you blow up like that?" he asked and Hermione glared at him. 

  "Since one of my best friend's live is at stake. Now are you going to help me or not?" Hermione snapped and Malfoy studied the girl in front of him. After a few moments, he sighed. 

  "Well, what are you waiting for? Grab a chair and sit down. Unlike what I have said earlier, I've found some information that might point us to the right direction," Malfoy said as he gestured her to sit down. Hermione, who hesitated for a few seconds, then sat down. 

  "As I've said before, the diary contains a lot of the man's private thoughts but among those thoughts, this person had mentioned something about another man. He, being the other man, was never address directly. So, no name was given to this man. Actually, both men are a John Doe," Malfoy started off. 

  "The identities of both men don't actually concern us, Malfoy. Anything else we can use?" Hermione asked again. 

  "Actually, the identities of both men are a concern. The whole diary revolves around the both of them as well as their past. Well, at least that's what's written in English, anyway," Malfoy sighed as he leaned back against his armchair. 

  "What do you mean?" 

  "This guy, whoever he is, is damn smart. He wrote all the stuff he thinks he doesn't want others to find out… in Latin," Malfoy replied and Hermione stared at him. 

  "Latin? Latin as in the language that's practically dead Latin?" Hermione said. 

  "Yes Latin as in the dead language Latin," Malfoy replied and Hermione began to flip through the pages until she landed on one that was written in languages she can't quite recognize. 

  "This complicates things a bit," Hermione frowned and Malfoy nodded his head. 

  "Since the school doesn't teach how to translate them (A/N: Let's just pretend that Hogwarts doesn't teach the students how to translate Latin, okay?), we have to find another way of doing so," Malfoy said. 

  "Any chance you might know of any spells that can do the translation for us?" Hermione asked and Malfoy shook his head slowly. "Well, maybe Dumbledore know what to do." 

  "He can't. He has too much work in his hands already as it is. Ministry and stuff. Not to mention trying to get half of the wizarding community to see that Fudge's a fake," Malfoy said and after awhile, Hermione too nodded her head. Then, she looked around the room. 

  "At least we don't have to go far. There's probably something in here that could help us translate things in here," Hermione sighed. The both of them kept silence for at least a few minutes until Malfoy stood up. 

  "Where are you going?" Hermione asked as he watched him stretched himself. 

  "Great Hall. All the students are required to stay there for the night just to be safe. Dumbledore feared that the Death Eaters would probably try to attack tonight," he replied. 

  "Oh, I didn't know about that. Have the perfects been given their duty for the night?" Hermione asked and Malfoy nodded. 

  "I gave them their duties this afternoon when they arrived back from France. You really should get down there," Malfoy said as he walked towards his room. 

  "Hey, Malfoy. Wait up, all right. I have to go get some stuff. We can walk down there together. Besides, I have something to ask you," Hermione said as she too stood up and walked towards her own bedroom. Malfoy turned around and nodded once at her before entering his room. 

  Half an hour later, both of them were seen walking down the corridors towards the Great Hall. 

  "What is it you wanted to ask me?" Malfoy asked as they walked down the familiar hallway. 

  "It's about what happened today. So, what's with you and Jade? Since when do you date a Gryffindor?" Hermione asked and Malfoy frowned. 

  "That's a rather personal question, Granger," Malfoy replied. 

  "I don't care. Just, please, answer the question. I won't tell anyone if it's any consolation," Hermione said. For a few minutes, Malfoy didn't answer her. 

  "We're not dating, if that's what you wanted to hear. I've just known her for a long time. She's like a sister to me," Malfoy sighed and Hermione looked at him. 

  "Sister? But this afternoon… You said that…" Hermione stuttered. 

  "That I was dating her? That was just to get under Weasley's skin," Malfoy laughed. 

  "Well, that's not funny. Harry's been…" she trailed off. 

  "Well, he'd be happy to know that, if he's interested in her that is, he's not the only one who feels that way," Malfoy smirked. The both of them didn't say anything else until they arrived at the front of the Great Hall. Malfoy then walked towards where the Slytherins were without saying another word. 

  "Hey," Hermione said softly and Malfoy looked back at her. "Thanks a lot, Draco." 

  Malfoy just stared at the witch as she walked towards the Headmaster, dumbstruck. Then, secretly, he gave her the tiniest of smiles as she turned to look back at him. 

~*~ 

  For the next few days, Hermione had been locking herself up in the study she'd been sharing with Malfoy as she desperately tries to find anything that could help her translate the dead language. Malfoy, or Draco as Hermione had begun calling him, was there too, most of the time, when he wasn't doing anything else. Ron was worried about her since the witch often came down late for breakfast, ate a very small lunch before running off to god knows where and began skipping dinner like the word 'dinner' never existed. The thing that she hadn't skip so far was school, tutoring Dudley every night and the regular trip to visit Harry in the Infirmary.

  "Hermione, are you alright? You don't look well," Lupin pointed out one day when the three of them had decided to visit Harry together. Hermione, who was lost in her own thoughts, looked blankly at the professor. 

  "What?" she asked faintly and Lupin sighed. 

  "She's been acting like this since Harry passed out," Ron said and Lupin nodded his head slowly. 

  "Hermione?" Lupin called her again as he placed a hand on her shoulder. Hermione then looked up at him. 

  "What is it, professor?" she asked. 

  "Have you been getting enough sleep at all? When was the last time you had a decent meal?" he asked her and Hermione smiled at him. 

  "Don't worry about me, professor. I'm fine. It's just that I have a lot to deal with right now but I'm beginning to cope. I should be alright," Hermione explained and Lupin nodded his head slowly. 

  "Are you sure?" he asked again. Snuffles, who had yet to leave Harry's side, walked over towards Hermione and placed his head on Hermione's lap. Hermione started to stroke his head. 

  "I'm sure of it. Don't worry about me," Hermione said again. 

  "Well, if you're sure… I have to go. I have another class after lunch that I have to prepare for. Take care, both of you," Lupin said before walking out of the room. Snuffles just lifted his head as Lupin left and then placed it back on Hermione's lap when he's gone. 

  "Hermione, you might have him convinced but I know you better than him. You're not okay. You have dark shadow under your eyes, you look like you've seen a Dementor and you've lost weight like you're trying to be a model. Not for the Witch Weekly but for the Undertaker's guide for the Dead. If you're telling me that you're fine then I don't believe you one bit," Ron said as he crossed the room and sat beside her on the empty chair. 

  "Ron, I'm alright. I just have this one project that I'm working on that's taking up more time and energy than I thought it would. Just trust me on this, please?" Hermione said. 

  "Herm, if you're trying to figure out what's wrong with Harry then I-" Hermione cut him off. 

  "If I'm trying to figure out what's wrong with Harry then I'll let you know. Until then, I just need you to trust me, okay?" Hermione said and Ron nodded his head slowly after he thought about what she had said. After giving Ron a smile, somebody came into the room. 

  "You?! What are you doing here?" Ron exclaimed as he shot up from his seat. 

  "I came to visit him. Why? Is that wrong?" the person asked. 

  "No, it's quite alright, Jade. Have a seat," Hermione said with a smile as she gestured to the empty seat next to her. Jade then walked towards Hermione and placed the chocolate she had brought with her on the small table beside Harry but she didn't sit down. Instead, she walked over towards Harry and looked down at him. 

  "Is he going to be alright?" Jade asked softly. Ron snorted and Hermione glared at him. She then got up with a sigh and walked towards Jade. 

  "He's going to be fine. Don't worry about him," Hermione said. 

  "But that's bad news for you, isn't it since you want him dead," Ron snapped. 

  "Ron!" Hermione exclaimed. 

  "It's true. She probably set the whole thing up with Malfoy so that they could hand Harry to Him. She's been dying to kill the guy," Ron yelled and Jade glared at him. 

  "I wouldn't do anything like that to him," Jade said and Ron laughed. 

  "Yeah right. You were probably in His hideout last night because you weren't there in the Great Hall. I looked for you but you weren't there!" Ron yelled again. 

  "I was not-" 

  "Yeah, you were not there!!" Ron yelled again. 

  "Ron, that's enough!" Hermione yelled and Ron quiet down. "Don't accuse her of something she didn't do. Even Dumbledore doesn't have the right to do that." 

  "But Herm, I-" Ron was cut off by someone screaming. The three of them jumped but was horrified when they realized that the one who was screaming was Harry. Snuffles, who had been watching the three of them before, jumped up and barked madly as Harry was struggling violently on the bed as if he was fighting someone. 

  "Harry! Harry wake up! Harry!!" Ron yelled as he shook Harry's frame hard but Harry was still struggling and yelling. 

  "Madam Pomfrey! Madam Pomfrey. Please! Something's wrong with Harry!" Hermione yelled from Harry's side as she was trying to help Ron calm Harry down. Tears were starting to form and soon started falling onto Harry. No sooner, the matron rushed into the room. Jade, on the other hand, was edging her way towards one side of the room, her face showed no emotions at all. 

  "What happened?!" she exclaimed as soon as she saw Harry tossing and struggling on the bed. 

  "We don't know. He started struggling all of a sudden. It's like he's possessed," Ron said. Both Ron and Hermione were trying to keep Harry falling from the bed. Snuffles, who weren't capable of doing anything, kept barking from behind Ron. 

  "Hold him still," Madam Pomfrey said. 

  "We're trying but whatever you want to do to him, you better do it quickly," Ron said again. Madam Pomfrey then picked up her wand and pointed towards Harry's forehead, with the help of Ron and Hermione, and muttered something under her breath. After a few attempts, Harry's body finally jerks upwards one last time before settling on the bed again, motionless. 

  "Is he alright?" Ron asked the matron. 

  "All of you, please get out of this room. I need to find out what's wrong with him. Out," she ordered. Ron then helped the shaking Hermione out of the room with Jade behind the both of them. 

  "This is all your fault!" Ron yelled right after they were out of earshot. Jade stared blankly at him. 

  "My fault? Why is it my fault?" Jade asked. 

  "You did this to him somehow! Harry was just fine until you showed up. You did something to him. I don't know what but I'm sure as hell am going to find out!" Ron yelled again. Jade, who felt her anger starting to rise up, took a deep breath to calm herself down. 

  "Look, if you wanna blame this on me, then go ahead. I don't give a damn. All I know is that I didn't do it," Jade said before she turned around and left the infirmary. 

  "Ron… Is he going to be alright?" Hermione sobbed and Ron turned around. Hermione was leaning against the wall, tears pouring from her eyes. Ron then pulled her into a hug. 

  "He's going to be alright. He's going to be fine," Ron replied as he let her cry against him and although they have school the next day, both Ron and Hermione stayed at the infirmary until dawn, Ron being the calm one for once as he tried to calm the sobbing Hermione down once again. 

~*~ 

  It was Saturday morning, a week after the Harry incident, that Draco finally exited his room and walked towards the study to help Hermione out on the diary. Halfway towards his study table, he stopped and stared at the sight before him. 

  There, Hermione was flipping through a book that he knew was from one of the shelves. Well, that was normal but this time, she was different. 

  She looked as if she was about to burst out crying any second. 

  "Granger?" he called out softly and Hermione looked up. Draco's mercury eyes met her bloodshot ones. 

  "You're up. Could you help me with this?" she asked as she handed him some papers with her shaking hands. 

  "Granger, did you get any sleep last night?" he asked as he walked towards her. 

  "No. I was reading some stuff that I think might be able to help translate that thing. I think I'm almost there," she said, her voice quivering slightly. 

  "Granger, get some sleep. You look as if you're going to faint," Draco said. 

  "No, I'm almost there. Are you going to help me or not?" she snapped. Draco just shook his head and walked to her side. He then grabbed her right upper arm firmly but gently and pulled her up. 

  "What are you doing?! Let go of me!" Hermione yelled but he wouldn't let her go. Instead, he began to shake her body. 

  "Hermione, snapped out of it! You're not going to be a big help if you passed out when they need you the most. Just snap out of it," Draco yelled and Hermione stared at him. All of a sudden, she started to cry again. 

  "This shouldn't happen. I should've done something back then. I should have helped Jade instead of pulling him back. I should have…" 

  "You should've let things go as they were suppose to. This happen for a reason and, whether you like it or not, you should let things go with its own course," Draco said. Hermione sniffed and looked up at the blond. 

  "Things happen for a reason," Draco said again before he let go of her and walked towards his own table. Without another word, he started to read what she was reading before and started to take some notes. He left her alone after that and the next time he looked up, she wasn't there anymore. Instead, he saw the door to her room was slightly ajar and saw, what hopefully was, her sleeping figure. 

~*~ 

  It was around late in the evening that Hermione finally left her room and walked towards the Great Hall where she promised Ron that she'd meet him. After Ron gave her a brief explanation on what Harry's current condition, which was he's still out cold, the two of them sat side by side with Dudley sitting across from Hermione. After about half an hour of doing their work, Ron's hand suddenly stopped moving and froze in his seat. Hermione's body language too suddenly tensed up and her eyes stopped seeing the words in front of her. 

  "Hermione, Harry's awake," Ron said softly as he turned to the Head Girl beside him. Hermione eyes widen. Ron, who was trying to finish his Potions homework, stopped writing while Hermione, who was busy tutoring Dudley, looked up from the book she was reading. 

  "You think so too? I thought I was just imagining stuff," Hermione whispered back at him. 

  "No, I know he's awake. It was the exact same feeling I got when you woke up from the coma," Ron replied. 

  "I don't know what you're feeling but all I know is that we should be in the infirmary instead of here. And we should get there fast," Hermione said and Ron nodded his head. Putting their stuff away quickly, Hermione smiled weakly at Dudley who was sitting the opposite of her. 

   "I'm sorry Dudley but Ron and I have to go. Can you finish your homework by yourself?" Hermione asked him. 

  "S-Sure. I can do it myself," Dudley stammered. 

  "Thanks. I'll come by later and check your work for you," Hermione replied as Ron and herself walked quickly towards the Infirmary. 

  "Do you really think that he's awake, Ron?" Hermione asked, her voice filled with hope. 

  "Herm, I don't just think. I _know_ he's awake. Don't you think so?" Ron asked her as the both of them walked faster and soon broke into a run. 

  "I hope so. I really, really hope so," Hermione said, more to herself than to Ron. Ron led Hermione to the infirmary, the both of them running all the way, until they were standing in front of the close door. 

  "You okay?" Ron asked when they were standing in front of the door. Hermione just nodded her head slowly. After giving her a reassuring smile, Ron twisted the doorknob and opened the door. 

  "I was wondering when the both of you will show up," said a rather stick voice that could only belong to Madam Pomfrey. 

  "Is he awake yet?" Hermione asked eagerly and the matron smiled sadly at the both of them. 

  "Yes, he's awake. You two are the first to know about this. Snuffles wasn't here when he woke up because he's with Professor Lupin," the matron sighed softly. Ron and Hermione looked at each other and then turned back to the matron. 

  "That's good, isn't it?" Hermione asked, her voice held a hint of panic. 

  "Yes, that's good but…" Madam Pomfrey trailed off sadly. 

  "But what?" Ron asked back. Panic was starting to bubble up inside of him too. 

  "Maybe the both of you should go inside and find out for yourself," Madam Pomfrey said as she smiled sadly at the both of them. 

  Ron and Hermione smiled back at her and then Hermione led the both of them towards the same room she had once occupied. She could tell that Ron was nervous as hell, more when Madam Pomfrey said that thing about Harry. Stopping for a moment, she grabbed Ron's shoulder and squeezed it lightly. 

  "No matter what happened to him, we'll help him through it. What's going to happen to the three of us, we'll get through it together," she said softly to the redhead. Ron looked up and her and pulled her into a tight hug. 

  "I'm worried about him, Herm. I'm so worried about him," Ron said softly and Hermione rubbed his back soothingly. 

  "I know, I know. So do I but we've got to hang on. At least for him. I've learned that much since he passed out," Hermione replied and Ron nodded his head. The both of them broke the hug. 

  "C'mon, let's go," Ron said after awhile as he grabbed Hermione's right hand. Ron reached for the doorknob and then opened the door to the room Harry was in. The both of them then walked towards Harry nervously. 

  "Harry? Are you up?" Ron asked the youth that was sitting up on the bed. Harry didn't reply but looked at the both of them with a blank expression. Harry kept staring at the both of them like that for quite some time until a very small smile crept up onto his lips. Hermione, who couldn't contain herself any longer, burst out crying and pulled the stunned Harry into a hug. 

  "Harry, I'm so glad you're okay! You have no idea how worried Ron and I have been for the past couple of days. Don't you dare do that to us again!" Hermione sobbed against Harry's shoulder and Harry looked at Ron, his face puzzled. 

  "She's been under a lot of stress ever since you fainted the other day," Ron explained as he sat down on the bed next to Harry's right leg. 

  Harry kept silence until Hermione decided to let him go which was a good five minutes later. When she finally did, Harry glanced at the both of them although his face was still hidden from any emotions. 

  "How are you feeling?" Hermione asked, still sobbing. Harry just nodded his head instead of answering. 

  "Harry, say something. Anything. You've been quiet ever since Hermione and I came into the room," Ron said, frowning a bit. After a while, Harry kept looking from Hermione, to Ron and back to Hermione. He did this a couple of times before he finally spoke. Both Ron and Hermione wished he didn't because, instead of asking 'What happened?' which was what the both of them were expecting, he asked: 

  "Who are you?" 

A/N: 

There it is, your sixteenth chapter. I'm not sure if all of you like it but I personally hate it. I don't know about you guys though. Hey, I have an idea… Why don't you guys REVIEW and tell me what you think? Anyway, I finally decided to put in some HG/DM in there. Hope you like it. So, Harry can't remember who he is. I wonder why… Well, if you guys wanna know, wait for the next chapter. 

Does anyone else think this story is weird or confusing? Cos if you do then tell me so that I'll try and make things more clear. 

Oh yeah, I have some belated and early birthday wishes to shout out. 

_HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO:- _

_~*Nadya a.k.a. Joy*_~                          ^~^28th Nov^~^ 

_~*Yam_*~                                              ^~^11th Dec^~^ 

_~*Zue*~_                                               ^~^17th Dec^~^ 

_~*Snowwolf~*_                                      ^~^15th Dec^~^ 

_~*Wolfsun*~_                                        ^~^30th Dec^~^ 

_~*Sha a.k.a. EyesWideShut*~              _^~^10th Jan^~^ 

_~*Fiza*~_                                               ^~^13th Jan^~^ 

So Happy 17th or 18th birthday to the seven of them. Well, I kinda know their birthdays cos they were my classmates. Anyway, to those who are celebrating their birthdays sometimes soon, I wish you a happy birthday too! May all your wishes comes true!!!!!

!! 


	17. Complications

~*~Dudley goes to Hogwarts~*~

Chapter 17

Complications

_  "Who are you?"_

_  "Harry, it's me… It's us. Don't you remember?"_

_  "No… I don't remember… anything."_

_  "It's me, Ron! Harry, snap out of it! Why can't you remember who we are?!"_

_  "Stop it! Stop shaking me! Let me go! Leave me alone!!"_

_  "Ron, stop it! He's just confused. Just let him go! RON!!"_

    "Ron!" 

    Ron snapped out of his thoughts and looked up at Hermione's pale and concerned face. Everything suddenly came back into view. All around him, almost all of the Gryffindor seventh years were looking at him with a puzzled expression. Even the common room seemed to be on pause, which was normally filled with life.

    "What?" he asked faintly as he looked away from Hermione. 

    "Are… Are you okay?" he heard her ask from beside him. 

    Ron just sighed quietly. He couldn't handle this right now. He needed some time alone. He turned to the people in the room and tried his very best to give a genuine smile, reassuring that he was fine. After the common room went back to its original state and the rest of the seventh years began doing their work again, Ron shut the Transfiguration book he was trying to read.

    "I'm fine, 'Mione. Look, I'm just really tired so I think I'll go to bed early tonight. I'll see you tomorrow," Ron replied as he gathered up all his homework without turning around.

  "Ron, if you're worried about-"

  "Night Hermione. I'll see you tomorrow," Ron cut her off before he got up from the couch and walked towards his respective dorm room. 

    But before he could take a step further, Hermione grabbed his arm.

    "He's going to be fine, Ron. Don't worry about him," she said, patting his arm reassuringly. 

    But Ron has had enough. He then spun around and glared at her.

    "But I am worried about him! I'm worried like hell that he won't remember who he is or who we are or… or… or whatever things he's suppose to remember! It's driving me crazy that he became like this just because he wanted to save someone that have the last name Goyle attached to her name instead of listening to what we've said! I'm… I'm… I don't know what I am anymore," Ron yelled, falling back onto the couch after the last sentence, his face buried in his hands. _'To hell with everyone else who's watching,' _he thought to himself.

    "You're an idiot, that's what you are. You're an idiot, selfish bastard. Not to mention short tempered," she said and Ron chuckled against his hands. 

    Hermione smiled to herself and placed her right hand over his shoulder. 

    "But you're also one of his best friend, although he can't quite remember that little fact right now. And, for one thing, he doesn't need you to choke him silly just because he can't remember who you are. What he needs now, Ronald Weasley is for you to be there for him when he needs you the most. Can you, at the very least, do that for him?" 

    Ron sat still for quite some time after hearing what the witch beside him had to say. Although he'll never admit it to her even on his dying day, she was right. Finally, after he managed to calm himself down, he sighed again and looked up at her.

    "I'm sorry. Things get to me and I don't know how to handle this right now. You know how I am, right?" he said softly and Hermione pulled him into a hug.

    "Unfortunately, yes, I do know how you are. And don't worry about him. He can take care of himself. He is, after all, The-Boy-Who-Lived," she quoted.    

    After awhile, both of them pulled away.

    "Well, since Dudley's tutoring ended well over half an hour ago, I think I'll just go. Good night, Ron. Get a good night's sleep. It'll help," Hermione said while getting up with her stuff. 

    Ron followed suit and both of them hugged each other briefly before going their separate way. Unknown to them, there was a pair of eyes and ears that caught their every actions as well as every word they said. With a smirk, that person walked away without anyone noticing.

~*~

    Harry looked around him.

    Dumbledore's office was always a welcoming sight, even though you have no idea what's going on around you. The gadgets were always interesting to watch and Harry found himself being drawn into all of this, the fear that was nagging at the back of his mind was long forgotten.

    Everything was so unfamiliar and yet there was some part of him that told him that he should remember all this. It was like he… _belongs_ here.

    As he was looking at the weird shaped objects around him, a fiery bird flew towards him right out of nowhere and landed beside him, on the empty seat next to him. Harry looked at him, astounded.

    "Wow, you're beautiful," Harry whispered, more to himself than anyone. 

    Harry then looked around the room to make sure no one was watching before he stroked Fawkes head, the phoenix leaning into his touch. Harry smiled to himself.

    "I see you have already been reacquainted with Fawkes, Mister Potter," a voice said and Harry quickly pulled his hand away. 

    He looked up and saw Dumbledore standing behind his oak table.

    "I- I'm sorry. I thought there was -" Harry stammered and Dumbledore held up his right hand.

    "It's quite alright, Harry. It's not the first time you've been friendly with him. He quite enjoys your company," Dumbledore said and then took a seat in his own chair, right across from Harry. 

    "Professor Snape, Professor Lupin as well as Sirius will be here shortly. I assumed that you have no idea who they are either, unfortunately?"

    Harry shook his head slowly. He just watched as Fawkes flew towards the perch beside Dumbledore. 

    Harry looked at the old man in front of him and Dumbledore gave him a smile. Harry then found himself smiling back but then he cast his view downwards almost instantly.

    "Time is one of the many elements that can be one most valuable teacher. Do you why, Harry?" Dumbledore said, breaking the silence between them. 

    Harry looked up from his view of the corner of the table and into the Headmaster's warm eyes.

    "No sir," Harry said softly. 

    Dumbledore then leaned forward and looked at him with his piercing blue eyes.

    "It's because, Harry, it is only through time that one can find the answers to questions that one was looking for. People say that looking back is a waste of time but sometimes it is necessary to go back in order for you to move forward," Dumbledore answered. 

    Harry looked blankly at the headmaster but before he could say anything, a knock was heard.

    "Come in," Dumbledore said without looking away from Harry.

    "You wish to see us?" Lupin asked as he stepped into the room. 

    Behind him was Snuffles as well as Snape, who shut the door behind him after stepping into Dumbledore's office.

    "Yes Remus. Please, have a seat," Dumbledore gestured to the couch in front of the fireplace after getting up from his own seat. 

    He then gestured Harry to follow him.

    "Harry! You're awake!" Lupin exclaimed as he swept the Gryffindor into a tight hug. "I'm sorry we haven't visited you for the past few days. Sirius and I were… we have something to take care of." He looked confusedly at Harry when the boy felt stiff in his arms and due to the fact that Harry haven't said a word since he'd stepped in Dumbledore's office. 

    Sirius, who had changed into his human formed again without realizing Harry's unusual behavior towards Lupin, too pulled Harry into a hug after Lupin have stepped aside.

    "Harry, are you okay? You looked kinda pale. Maybe you should go back to the Infirmary," Sirius said after he pulled away from the boy. 

    He wasn't kidding when he said that Harry looked quite pale. In fact, Harry's face was completely colourless not to mention that he looked as if he was on the verge of passing out.

    "He should be. You probably squeeze the life out of the kid," Snape said as he sat down on one of the couch there. 

    Sirius just glared at him and was about to reply with something more… impolite when Dumbledore stepped in.

    "Sirius, please. Why don't we all just have a seat? I have some things to inform all of you. This concern young Mister Potter here," Dumbledore said as he placed his right hand over Harry's shoulder. 

    Unknown to all except Remus, Harry was moving away from Sirius and Remus and was edging towards Dumbledore without making it too obvious.

    "Harry, what's wrong?" Remus asked the Gryffindor, concerned. 

    Harry didn't answer him but Remus inhaled sharply when he saw the look in Harry's eyes. There wasn't warmth in it like it usual does but there was something else in it and it shocked Remus to see it there and was directed to Sirius and him. It was… fear.

    "Remus, Sirius, please. Have a seat. We have a lot to discuss but only a limited amount of time," Dumbledore said and the both of them finally took a seat on the double couch at the opposite of Snape. 

    Harry too sat down on one of the armchairs there. 

    "What's wrong with him, Albus and don't you dare say nothing," Remus said, his voice almost a whisper.

    "I know that you have sensed something is wrong with Harry, Remus and I am in no position to tell you otherwise. While the both of you were on a mission for the past two days, Harry here had woken up from his deep slumber. As Poppy had said earlier, there was nothing wrong with the boy… physically," Dumbledore explained.

    "Wait just a minute. Are you trying to tell me that my godson is… crazy?!" Sirius exclaimed as he jumped up from his seat. 

    Remus just laughed while both Dumbledore and Harry just smiled. Harry found this man plain amusing and friendly when compared to the Potions' Master.

    "Don't be stupid Black! Only the most advance magic can make one lose their mind!" Snape said and Sirius glared at him again.

    "I'm afraid he's right Sirius. Harry is not crazy. However, the impact did cause damage to his brain. He has amnesia, Sirius," Dumbledore said. 

    All of them fell silence when Dumbledore finally mention what was wrong with the trembling boy in front of them all.

    "You mean to tell me that he can't remember… anything?" Remus said after a good five minutes. 

    Dumbledore, who had sat in the armchair beside Harry a while ago, nodded his head slowly. Lupin then turned to look at Harry but the Gryffindor just looked away.

    "I don't believe this. How could this have happened? I was there with him. Both of us were along with Hermione and that Weasley kid. Why weren't we infected or hit or… something," Sirius cried and Lupin just placed his trembling hand over Sirius shoulder.

    "That I cannot answer, Sirius since not even I know what the cause is. Remus, can you tell me what happened in that warehouse that day?" Dumbledore asked. 

    Lupin then, after looking at Harry again, nodded his head slowly.

    "I'm not very sure, really. When the six of us arrived at the warehouse that day, I just told them to get to the portkey and transport themselves back here. Somehow, a Death Eater captured one of them, Jade Goyle. Harry refused to get back to Hogwarts without her. The next thing we knew, there was some sort of a blinding green light, which killed all the Death Eaters. When I asked if everyone was all right, Miss Granger informed me that Harry had passed out. But the strange thing was, his scar was glowing," Lupin explained and Dumbledore nodded his head slowly as Lupin filled them in on what had happened.

    _'Warehouse? Death Eaters? What the hell? I don't even remember any of this!'_ Harry thought to himself as he too listen to what this Remus person have to say.

    "Where did this light come from?"  Dumbledore asked.

    "Well, to tell you the truth, it came out from Harry himself," Lupin answered with a sigh and leaned back against the chair.

    "What does that mean, Albus? Why did that light came out of his body? It's not possible," Sirius said, leaning forward towards Harry who leaned back against his armchair. 

    Sirius scowled at Harry's action. 

    "Do you think this have anything to do with the prophecy?" Snape said to nobody in particular quietly and both Sirius and Remus turned towards him sharply.

    "That's not possible. Besides, we already know that Harry is one of them," Sirius said but Dumbledore looked as if he was thinking over what Snape had said.

    "I know that you prat! But what we don't know is what he's _capable_ of doing. The prophecy have never mention anything about his powers nor that it stated how he's suppose to access them," Snape said and Dumbledore nodded his head slowly.

    "Severus has got a point that we've, unfortunate to say, have overlooked. We do not know much about the prophecy other than Harry is one of them as well as there are three others. As much as I hate to say it, Voldemort indeed have the upper hand in this," Dumbledore sighed, breaking the small pause.

    "He knows? How?!" Sirius exclaimed as he jumped up from his seat. 

    From the corner of his eyes, Remus could see Harry cowering and sinking deeper into his seat.

    "Of course he knows. Why do you think he's trying to kill the boy?" Snape snapped. 

    Harry paled.

    "How am I suppose to know why that idiot wants to kill my godson? All I know is that we have to stop him," Sirius said again and Remus pulled his hand downwards so that he would sit down. 

    Sirius just pulled his hand out of Remus' grip.

    "What do you think we're doing all this time? Planning a party?" Snape hissed. 

    Sirius glared at the Potions master and was just about to lunged at him when Remus stood up and stood in his path.

    "Sirius, calm down! You're scaring the poor child," Remus hissed softly and Sirius turned to look at Harry but the Gryffindor wasn't looking at him. 

    Harry curled himself into a tight ball on the chair, his face colourless, worst compare to before and Sirius could see his frail body shaking.

    "Harry…" Sirius began as he reached out to comfort him but Harry scramble up to his feet and backed away from the four of them.

    "Stay away from me. All of you," he said shakily, retreating from them and eventually backed up to Dumbledore oak table.

    "Harry, it's okay. We're not going to hurt you," Remus said gently and walked slowly towards the frighten Gryffindor but he just rushed around the table and kept backing away.

    "No!! Just stay away. I don't know who you are or how you're able to do all that stuff but just let me go. I don't want to stay here," Harry said.

    "Harry, I know you don't remember any of us but we promise you that we won't hurt you. Trust us," Sirius said but Harry shook his head frantically.

    "No! Just leave me alone. I don't want your help. I don't want anything to do with you!" Harry yelled as he made a dashed towards the exit. 

    Halfway to the door, a fine line of gold sparks hit him from behind and Harry was unconscious. Sirius leaped forward towards and caught him before he could hit the floor.

    "Was that really necessary, Albus?" Remus asked quietly as he watched Sirius cradle Harry limp body in his arms.

    "As much as I hate to do it Remus, it has to be done. Please, have a seat. That goes for you too Sirius. Don't worry about him. I just cast a sleeping charm on him. He should wake up in about an hour or two," Dumbledore replied as he motioned the two of them to sit down at their previous place. 

    Remus quietly sat down and he shot a look at Snape, who, despite his hatred for Harry, looked wordily at him and, Remus noted, looked paler than he usually does. Sirius picked up Harry, walked towards the Gryffindor's previous seat, and sat down with Harry still sleeping soundly in his arms.

    "I'm sorry Sirius but it had to be done," Dumbledore said softly and Sirius nodded his head in response.

    "Is there any thing we can do for him to regain his memories?" Remus asked the Headmaster. 

    Dumbledore didn't answer him instantly. He just looked as if he was in deep thought while stroking his silver beard.

    "I think I know of a way," Snape answered him instead.

    "You? I would rather die than trust you," Sirius growled as he unconsciously tightened his grip on Harry.

    "Don't be dense, Black. That boy's life is on the line as well as the fate of the wizarding world. As much as I loathe him, I was quite fond of Lily. She was like a sister to me," Snape said quietly and Remus smiled at him.

    "I know what you mean. What do you have in mind?" Remus asked him.

    "Remy! Don't tell me that you actually trust this git," Sirius exclaimed and Remus rolled his eyes.

    "Siri, I know you hate him but this is Harry we're talking about. What other way is there?" Remus explained and Sirius' eyes darken.

    "I warn you Snape. If anything, _anything_ at all, goes wrong, I swear I am going to hunt you down and tear you apart," Sirius growled.

    "Yeah, yeah. What else is new," Snape mumbled under his breath and Remus looked away from both of them, trying to hide the smile that was creeping onto his lips.

    "What is this idea you have Severus?" Dumbledore said, his eyes still twinkling behind those half moon glasses of his.

    "A highly complicated potion that regains ones lost memories. In this case, Mr. Potter there," Snape said shortly.

    "And why doesn't Poppy have this potion if it could help regain lost memories after losing them?" Sirius asked.

    "Because it's so complicated that nobody can predict how far back that person will remember. I mean you could drink the potion and remember as far back as what happened to your ancestors! That's why it's not in any standard magical medical solutions," Snape explained.

    "Yes I have read about it once before," Dumbledore said.

    "Is there any other way?" Remus asked and Snape shook his head slowly.

    "The potion is only half our concern. The other part is the incantation that follows the drinking of the potion. The 'incantator' as you might call it, have to be of his blood," Snape continued.

    "Meaning…" Sirius trailed off as he saw Remus face palled.

    "Meaning that the 'incantator' have to be one of his relatives. Blood relative," Remus whispered as he slumped back against the chair.

    "But James and Lily's dead. That means...." Sirius trailed off again.

    "That only Mrs. Dursleys… _Petunia Evans_ can perform the spell," Remus continued weakly. 

Okay peeps, that thing just came out of nowhere! Anyway, how's Harry gonna get his memories back? Do you really think that Petunia'll be able to do the spell? Will she even agree to do it in the first place? Or will they find some other alternative? Either that or will Harry be memory-less forever? Not exactly a cliffy but it'll hold ya. Oh yeah, by the way, 10 reviews for this chapter and then I'll put up the next chapter. 30 more days till I die!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Sorry 'bout that. Oh yeah, could you guys read and review my other story (Winter's Sonata)? Please??? Sorry for the shameless plug and all. Well, I'm off! Cookies to those who reviewed!!!!!! I love you guys so much!

~Shattered~

**Preview for the next chapter (questions anyway):**

Harry's power makes another appearance and Dudley decided that he'd learn enough to get back at poor defenseless Harry. They found someone who will cast the spell on Harry. Will Harry allow the spell to be cast to him in the first place or will he freak out like before? Will Hermione finally find the spell she needs to translate writings in Latin?

[sw]: Sorry if there are any grammatical or spelling errors in this chapter or even in the previous and future chapters. This chapter actually should have been updated much sooner, if I hadn't lost my copy of the chapter. So sorry for the wait. Please Review! 


	18. A note sorry!

Just a short note... I guess

I'M SORRY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yeah, I know it's been awhile and I've only noticed about this when I recieved a review from **Tara **this morning, that I realized that I haven't been updating for the past... erm... _year_. And I'm really sorry bout it. But I would like to know if anybody out there who actually want me to continue this fic... Since (thanks to a bunck of classmates back in secondary school who I will not mention at all though they know who the are...) have decided to convert me to another ship (slash...). But it's okay if you still want me to continue this fic cos I still have major plans for it... That is, if I can still remember the plans... But a word of caution though, my style of writing has changed big time (though my gramar still suck, as all of you bare witness). So... Review and tell me what you think. If, by any chance, a lot of people actually want me to continue, I will. But if not, another author's note will be put up, replacing this one stating that whoever wants to know about the later chapters, I will give you the basic plot of the whole story and i give full permission to whoever out there that actually wants to write the story... if not, it shall burn in hell...

so yeah. review...

(sheesh... i could get my account deleated for this... let's just hope not...)

I'll give all of you 7 days to decide. If less then 10 people want me to continue writing, this story will be terminated....

Just would like to say '**_I LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!' _**to all who have been reviewing the last 17 chapters!

peace out.

love you guys lots

shattered

ps: yeah, to those out there who have heard of friendster (which i know you have), feel free to add me in. please refer to my bio page because, for some reason, my email addy will not pop itself out...


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